Matt Riddle Discusses Ideas, Relationship With Former WWE Tag Partner Randy Orton

One of the most memorable aspects of Matt Riddle's WWE run was his partnership with Randy Orton, known as RK-Bro. The two began tagging together in April 2021 after a singles match on "WWE Raw," and they would eventually go on to win the "Raw" Tag Team Championship twice. Appearing on "The MMA Hour" with Ariel Helwani, Riddle discussed how his relationship with Orton evolved over time.

"We wrestled, we tagged, and we just hit it off," Riddle said. "The crowd was really behind us. ... Once we started teaming up, we just kept it going, but the original plan was for him to turn on me."

However, as they continued teaming, Riddle said that he came up with an idea that made more sense. Instead of having Orton turn on Riddle, they would do the reverse, allowing Riddle to get heat for taking Orton out of action for a little while. According to Riddle, Orton was in favor of the idea as well. However, a turn never took place, as Orton was injured and Riddle was released before the veteran came back.

"I stayed in touch with him," Riddle continued. "[At first] he didn't like me at all. ... I remember even when I was in NXT, he would make comments. And then I won the tag titles with Pete [Dunne], he was like, 'I still don't like you, but I get it.' He said that via Twitter."

Riddle also shared another time when he rubbed Orton the wrong way by not shaking his hand in the locker room. However, Riddle said that he has a tendency to grow on people over time, and he and Orton became quite close over the course of their tag run.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The MMA Hour" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.