Dave Meltzer Reports On Matt Riddle's WWE Money In The Bank & Royal Rumble Stories

It's been an eventful last week for Matt Riddle, who has found himself in controversial waters again, albeit for situations far less severe than he's used to. The former WWE star has spoken his mind about many things from his tenure there, from working with Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens to claiming he was supposed to win the 2022 Money in the Bank ladder match, and a Royal Rumble match. In both cases, Riddle claimed last-minute changes were made, with Riddle stating he was passed over for Austin Theory in Money in the Bank, while accusing Brock Lesnar of vetoing his Rumble win.

On today's episode of "Wrestling Observer Radio," however, Dave Meltzer disputed some of Riddle's claims. In regards to the Money in the Bank match, while Theory's victory was a last-minute decision, it was because no firm decision had been made regarding the winner in the run-up to the match. As such, while Riddle was considered to win the briefcase, so were the other participants, and he was at no point penciled in as the winner of the match.

Regarding the Rumble story, those within WWE denied the assertion that Riddle was ever seriously considered to win a Royal Rumble match at any point. It was further noted that while Riddle had his supporters within WWE, he also had many who didn't want to see him do well, largely brought upon by Riddle's frequent controversies and the bad publicity that came with them.

Whatever the truth is, Riddle is ready to move on to the opportunities in front of him, particularly with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Riddle will be seen on Night One of New Japan's New Beginning in Sapporo event at the end of February, where he'll challenge Hiroshi Tanahashi for the NJPW World Television Championship.