Matt Riddle has shared a detailed account of a backstage encounter with “The Beast” Brock Lesnar that took place during a WWE Royal Rumble event. Speaking with R3 Interviews, the former United States Champion revealed that Lesnar physically pulled him aside to make it clear that a professional relationship between the two would never happen. This comes after years of Riddle publicly calling out Lesnar in various media appearances.
Riddle described the moment he was confronted while walking into the arena. “When I got to a Royal Rumble, I was really excited to get in the ring. All sudden, I get a guy grabbed me by the back of the neck when I’m walking into the hall, and I turn around and it’s Brock Lesnar. He pulls me in. He didn’t hurt me, and he just dragged me. It was a, ‘Hey, just want you to know we’ll never work, never get in the ring. Just keep my name out of your mouth,’” Riddle stated.
Riddle Responds to Lesnar’s Demands
Despite the physical nature of the confrontation, Riddle noted that he remained calm and addressed Lesnar’s concerns directly. He explained that his “trash talk” in the media was intended to build interest, but he respected Lesnar’s firm boundary regarding their in-ring future.
“I’m like, ‘Dude, I’m not gonna force you to do anything you don’t want to do. I was just talking trash. And if it got you this worked up, it must have worked so, yeah, dude, we never had to wrestle or touch or anything if anything you touched me.’ And that’s exactly how that conversation goes. He goes ‘good.’ I was like, ‘cool,’” Riddle added.
Accusations Against Kevin Owens
The most surprising part of the story involved what happened immediately after the conversation ended. Riddle alleged that he confided in Kevin Owens about the incident, only to see the details appear online almost instantly. This has led Riddle to believe that Owens is a primary source for internal leaks within the wrestling media.
“I went to the locker room, and I told, like, Kevin Owens, and then five minutes later, is on the Dirt Sheet. So if you ever wonder where news is going coming, bro, that guy just loves to spill beans,” Riddle revealed. He ended the segment by offering a mock apology to Owens, who is currently sidelined. “Hey, hope it gets better, too. Sorry about the injury, bro, I didn’t do it.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit R3 Interviews with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
