Matt Riddle thought he was about to be fired from MLW. Instead, Court Bauer pitched him a new heel persona. In a new interview with Scott Fishman for TV Insider, the ‘Rude Dude’ revealed that just as he braced for the end of his run, the MLW president pivoted and offered him a creative direction that no other promotion would touch.
Now sometimes I can’t read him,” Riddle said of Bauer. “Like a couple of months ago I thought I was going to get fired and he was like, ‘How about we do that Rude Dude persona?'
Riddle framed Bauer as the only promoter willing to bet on a polarizing talent that WWE and AEW have kept at arm’s length.
Riddle Credits Bauer With Seeing His Value
Riddle, who has been the subject of multiple controversies over the years, said Bauer embraces the attention rather than running from it.
Court has always saw the legitimacy behind me. I think with the controversies I’ve had, he sees the value in that where a lot of people might get scared like AEW or WWE,” Riddle said. “At the end of the day, I get a haircut, and there are articles. If I do anything, there are articles good or bad. To him, it’s good in a way. To be honest with you, I wish I wasn’t so polarizing. I wish nobody cared. It’s good for wrestling though.
He traced the dynamic back to his WWE days, recalling a meeting with Vince McMahon at the company’s headquarters.
I remember when I met Vince and told him I’m a UFC fighter, this and that. I’m wearing flip flops in the Towers. He is like, ‘Well, you seem like a goof.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah I’m a goof, but I can whip your ass. Kurt Angle was a goof, but he is an Olympic gold medalist.'
The Only Promotion That Lets Him Be ‘Rude Dude’
Riddle said MLW is the lone company that allows him to work as the heel ‘Rude Dude’ rather than the babyface ‘Bro’ character fans know him for.
I love being the ‘Rude Dude’ because I get to be a heel. It is especially fun when you’re wrestling Kross because he is over,” Riddle said. “MLW is the only company that will let me do the ‘Rude Dude.’ I tried to do it in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and other places, and everyone just wanted ‘The Bro,’ because they know the bro.
Riddle, who has known Bauer before and after his WWE run, made clear the relationship runs deep regardless of what happens next.
Court and I have a great relationship. Court knows me. We talk a lot,” Riddle said. “I have nothing bad to say about Court. If I get fired tomorrow, I’ll still like the guy.
The comments come as Riddle continues to chart a path outside of WWE, where Randy Orton once pitched him as a WrestleMania 41 opponent. Riddle has stayed candid about his career, recently recounting how Brock Lesnar went off-script at Elimination Chamber.
