Matt Riddle has taken another brutal dig at CM Punk, and his latest comments criticise the WWE RAW star’s current in-ring ability.
The former WWE star, who was released in September 2023 due to unprofessional conduct, called Punk out in June and claimed that his former colleagues found him “still a b**ch to work with”. Riddle has since reaffirmed that stance by further elaborating on his feelings towards the former AEW wrestler.
Matt Riddle: CM Punk Isn’t Good At Fighting
Matt Riddle has been outspoken since leaving WWE and his latest interview saw him hit out at CM Punk’s wrestling abilities at the age of 46. He doubled down on his previous claim that “friends” in the company have told him the Best in the World is still difficult to work with (via TMZ’s Inside The Ring Podcast):
“I have good friends on the roster that still say he’s a bitch to work with. If he didn’t generate the amount of money and attention that he does, he wouldn’t be there. Kudos to him, the guy packs an arena, he sells tickets, he sells merchandise. When you’re looking at WWE, especially with TKO, I don’t think they care about anything else. They go, ‘What do you want to get paid? You bring this much value, okay, good.’
Punk recently main evented night one of SummerSlam, where he defeated Gunther to win the World Heavyweight Championship before Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase. Many, including journalist Dave Meltzer, felt that the match was excellent and praised the WWE veteran for his work in his second spell with the promotion.
Riddle acknowledged the support Punk has been receiving, but then made clear he isn’t a fan of his in-ring work:
“Hats off to him, he’s killing it. He’s wrestling, he’s staying active, he’s staying busy. His fans seem to love him. So, I have no ill will towards the man. I just don’t think he’s, well, good at fighting. I think his better days of wrestling are way behind him.”
He added:
“That’s not a knock, I’ll tell you this, I’m not getting that much better, faster, or stronger and I can tell you that he’s definitely not either, especially with all the botches.”
Riddle’s problems with Punk stem from his opinion, and seemingly those of his friends still with WWE, that he complains behind the scenes. He alluded to his release when the Second City Saint was brought back in November 2023 with the tweet: “Hey @WWE, you thought I was hard to deal with… have fun with 0-2 (CM Punk)”.
This was also a dig at Punk losing his two UFC fights during his brief MMA career. The Voice of the Voiceless hasn’t responded to any of Riddle’s comments, including the tweet making light of his losses in the Octagon.
Triple H Ran Out Of Patience With ‘Unprofessional’ Riddle
Riddle was one of WWE’s most popular stars during the pandemic era and formed a tag team with Randy Orton known as RK-Bro. It was an interesting partnership for several reasons, including that Orton had similarly been known for questionable behaviour backstage during his early career.
Orton eventually took to Riddle after initially disliking the former MMA fighter, but their friendship wasn’t enough to prevent the 39-year-old from being released. A list of unprofessional conduct contributed to the decision, including an incident at JFK Airport, which prompted law enforcement intervention.
Triple H took Riddle under his wing in developmental while overseeing NXT before taking over WWE’s creative as a whole. The current MLW Heavyweight Champion caused mischief during this time, including rumours of backstage tension between himself and Brock Lesnar, who Meltzer claimed found him “unprofessional”.
This didn’t faze NXT’s former head booker at the time, as he explained:
“To be honest, I read something [and I go], ‘I don’t know if that’s a work, that’s legit. I don’t know.’ I don’t care either way from that standpoint.” he said. “I’m entertained by it.”
He further explained that he’d be the one to deal with Riddle if a problem arose:
“I’ll help deal with the problem. Right now, it is what it is. Matt is an incredibly talented performer. He’s very vocal. He has his own personality and his own viewpoints on things. That’s a great thing.”
Riddle’s continuous indiscipline crossed the line for Triple H and WWE’s hierarchy under the TKO umbrella, and he was let go, much to the frustration of Orton. He seemed a certainty of becoming one of the promotion’s top stars, but his behaviour cost him.
