Tag: Matt Riddle

WWE video highlights: Daniel Cormier, Matt Riddle, Ronda Rousey give off UFC vibe at Extreme Rules

The WWE’s 2022 Extreme Rules event had plenty of MMA vibes Saturday in Philadelphia.

The WWE’s 2022 Extreme Rules event had plenty of MMA vibes Saturday in Philadelphia.

In the main event, UFC Hall of Famer and former heavyweight and light heavyweight champion [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag], now a mainstay as an analyst, was the special guest referee for a Fight Pit matchup between former UFC fighter [autotag]Matt Riddle[/autotag] and Seth Rollins.

And if that wasn’t enough intrigue for the average MMA fan to cross over for a night, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion [autotag]Ronda Rousey[/autotag] was on the card – and recaptured a title.

Cormier officiated the main event that saw Riddle and Rollins, who have been feuding for months, locked inside the Fight Pit, which differs from the traditional WWE steel cage in that it has no exit door. Riddle, who fought in the UFC from 2008-2013, submitted Rollins in the headliner.

Cormier’s job for the night got interesting at times, though, when he had to get physical with Rollins.

“It was amazing,” Cormier said in a backstage interview with WWE after the match. “Those guys fought. You knew that a rivalry like that needed an ending like that – something very true, something that cannot be questioned. And Matt Riddle got it done. It was tremendous being inside the Fight Pit.

“I had to put (Rollins) in his place, because he’s been disrespectful. He grabbed me as I’m checking on Matt Riddle. But I said that I would be fair. I thought I was that tonight. I came here to do a job, and I thought I did that job to the best of my ability.”

Below, see the MMA vibes you missed if you didn’t tune into Extreme Rules.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Opening Bell: WWE prepares for Extreme Rules, Dynamite going to OT

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week we’ve just begun.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, Oct. 3, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN

With Extreme Rules beckoning at the end of the week, WWE is pulling out all the stops to drum up that final interest. To wit, there’s a ton advertised for Monday’s Raw in Minnesota — more than usual, for sure.

It’s almost a requirement to have a contract signing for the last Raw before a premium live event, and Bianca Belair and Bayley will have theirs in St. Paul. The champ has been doing a good job of preventing Bayley from living in her head, but will have to stay strong this week ahead of their Ladder Match.

Matt Riddle and Seth Rollins have a feud that’s even more “on sight” than Belair and Bayley, but they’ll also have their face-to-face confrontation on Raw. Because they can’t keep from throwing down when they’re together, WWE says if either man makes contact with each other on Raw, they’re out of their Extreme Rules Fight Pit match. So it’ll be words, not fists, supposedly. And how will the news that UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier is refereeing that match get worked into the mix?

Also on tap for Raw this week:

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, Oct. 5, Entertainment & Sports Arena, Washington D.C.

Perhaps the most exciting thing that’s been revealed about this week’s Dynamite is that it will go an extra 15 minutes. That implies something big, or at the very least a pretty stacked show.

We already know one of the matches will see MJF take on Wheeler Yuta. These two have been going at it since MJF’s return, and though hardly anyone can hang with the self-professed Devil on the mic, Yuta can certainly give him a full night’s work in the ring. Alas, one gets the feeling that The Firm will bail MJF out if he runs into too much trouble.

Another big bout will see Daniel Garcia tag with his idol, Bryan Danielson, to face Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara. Garcia has been wavering for a while on his Jericho Appreciation Society membership, and after the American Dragon invited him to jump to the Blackpool Combat Club, this could be the chance for him to make a clean break. But you know “The Ocho” will have something to say about that before it’s all said and done in this battle of teams featuring two ROH champions.

Here’s what else has already been promoted for Dynamite:

  • Darby Allin takes on Jay Lethal, who’s promised to leave his entourage behind this time around
  • Luchasaurus will be in action
  • The Acclaimed will get everyone to help celebrate National Scissoring Day, because everybody loves The Acclaimed

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, Oct. 7, DCU Center, Worcester, Mass.

‘Twas the night before Extreme Rules, and it also happens to be the episode that WWE is promoting as the season premiere of SmackDown. So it’s being headlined by a very big match indeed: the rematch between champion Gunther and challenger Sheamus for the Intercontinental Championship. These two tore the house down the first time around, so fans are pumped for round two.

Solo Sikoa will be in action on Friday as well, taking on Ricochet. Sikoa’s friendship with Sami Zayn has been one of the most pleasant surprises on recent WWE programming, so you can bet Sami will likely be on hand to support Solo for this one.

And because it’s never too early to start promoting the next big premium live event (and because the Tribal Chief isn’t working Extreme Rules), Roman Reigns and Logan Paul will go face to face. Crown Jewel is only a few weeks away, after all.

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, Oct. 7, Entertainment & Sports Arena, Washington D.C.

It’s two shows in three nights for AEW this week in the nation’s capital, with both of them live. Rampage has a special bonus feature this week too: Battle of the Belts IV will take place live immediately after it at 11:00 p.m. ET. That special is expected to have multiple title matches, with the one announced featuring Pac defending his All-Atlantic Championship against Trent Beretta.

As for Rampage proper, we know the Dark Order’s 10 will face off against Andrade El Idolo with some surprisingly big stakes. If 10 loses, he forfeits his mask, but if he wins, Andrade has to leave AEW. Expect Dynamite to add some more spice to this card as well.

WWE taps former UFC champion to referee Seth Rollins-Matt Riddle Fight Pit match

What DC say, you must obey.

The feud between Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle has been pretty heated, and even in a Fight Pit match at Extreme Rules, may get out of hand. A normal referee may not be able to keep things under control, but what about a former two-division UFC Champion?

That’s exactly what the match will have on Saturday, Oct. 8 in Philadelphia. Prominent MMA journalist Ariel Helwani broke the news on Saturday night that Daniel Cormier, the former UFC Light Heavyweight and UFC Heavyweight champion, will serve as guest referee when Rollins and Riddle square off in the Fight Pit.

Though the 43-year-old Cormier has never dabbled in pro wrestling himself, his bona fides as an amateur wrestler rank up there with some of the very best. Cormier has made the US World or Olympic team six times, has medaled at the World Wrestling Championships and was an NCAA Division I national finalist during his college days at Oklahoma State.

His presence adds even more of a shoot fight feel to the Fight Pit match, which can only be won by submission or referee 10-count and takes place in a steel cage (with a catwalk around the top) that doesn’t have the typical ropes or turnbuckles. That environment would seem to favor Riddle, who had a successful career as an MMA fighter before he turned to pro wrestling.

However as numerous people have pointed out on social media, Cormier and Rollins are friends who have supported each other for big events in the past. If WWE chooses, it can have some fun with accusations that perhaps D.C. might not call things right down the middle, though with the announcement coming just a week before Extreme Rules, there isn’t a whole lot of time for that.

In any case, having Cormier on one of the typically less important premium cards is a shrewd move for WWE that might get some people to check it out who would normally skip it. It’s hard to ask more of a guest referee than that.

Opening Bell: Riddle takes on The Judgment Day, AEW rolls into Philly

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week we’ve just begun.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, Sept. 26, Rogers Place, Edmonton

Matt Riddle, you may have bitten off more than you can chew.

Just about everyone who has tangled with The Judgment Day has come to regret it, though arguably none more than Rey Mysterio since he lost his son to the group. Nevertheless, Riddle has gotten tangled up with Judgment Day business during his own ongoing vendetta against Seth Rollins, and will try to make the best of it Monday night by defeating Damian Priest.

The trick, of course, is dealing with the rest of the group. He may not even have Rey to back him up since the elder Mysterio has his own match with Rollins to worry about.

Also on tap for this week’s show in Edmonton:

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, Sept. 28, The Liacouras Center, Philadelphia

The Forbidden Door isn’t closed. No sir, as Jon Moxley is about to find out this week on Dynamite, it still is open a crack every now and then, and you never know who might walk through it.

In this case, it’s NJPW’s Juice Robinson, showing up in Philly for an AEW World Championship Eliminator. And while we don’t usually like these “beat the champ to get a shot at the champ’s title” bouts, we’ll make an exception for Rock Hard in this case.

AEW is also promoting these segments for Dynamite:

  • Saraya will speak, following her dramatic debut at Grand Slam.
  • The Jericho Appreciation Society will hold a championship celebration after the seemingly unlikely Chris Jericho ROH World Championship victory … and maybe say something about fellow ROH champ Daniel Garcia too.
  • MJF will be on the show to stir the pot again, probably.

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, Sept. 30, Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg

WWE continues its tour of the North by hitting Winnipeg for SmackDown on Friday night. If you watched any college or NFL football this past weekend, you no doubt heard Michael Cole’s voice on promos advertising a few matches already set for this show.

Most notably, new BFFs Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn will team to face Madcap Moss and Ricochet. The latter duo was only trying to warn Sami about his inevitable heartbreaking betrayal by the Bloodline, but Solo wasn’t trying to hear that talk and gave them a good thrashing.

Two other matches have also already been revealed for SmackDown in Winnipeg:

  • Shotzi, perhaps finally driving her cool tank again, will nonetheless be the underdog when she faces Bayley.
  • After being publicly disrespected by Los Lotharios during their watch party last week, Hit Row will get a chance at some payback.

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, Sept. 30, The Liacouras Center, Philadelphia (recorded on Sept. 28)

AEW has actually been doing a nice job of teasing some Rampage matches a week in advance, but that wasn’t the case this time out thanks to Grand Slam being a bigger than normal deal in its own right (and expanding to two hours just for last week).

So surprise! We may know more as we get closer, and certainly by the time Dynamite is on some matches will be revealed before they are taped later Wednesday night, but this show is a question mark for the time being.

WWE Clash at the Castle: Everything you need to know

Prepare for WWE Clash at the Castle with our complete preview, including predictions for each match, start time, and how to watch.

UK, you’re getting the stadium show you’ve been waiting three decades to see.

When Principality Stadium in Wales hosts WWE Clash in the Castle on Saturday, Sept. 3, it will be the first time since SummerSlam way back in 1992 that WWE is holding an event at a large, outdoor stadium in the UK. That alone makes it a big deal.

But the probable main event ratchets things up another notch, because while Drew McIntyre isn’t from Wales, he is from the UK. Clash at the Castle will be the closest thing to a home WrestleMania the Scottish Warrior is likely to ever experience, and WWE has done an excellent job making it appear he has a real chance to topple Roman Reigns as undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

There are other matches on the card with semi-local interest as well, none bigger than the Intercontinental Championship match between Austrian champ Gunther and Irish challenger Sheamus. Also, that contest should just be one heck of a professional wrestling match, with both men bringing tremendous physicality, as one of WWE’s most legendary announcers of the past might say.

Add in Bayley and her new “Damage CTRL” teammates in a six-woman tag match, Liv Morgan trying to fend off another tough challenger for her SmackDown Women’s Championship in Shayna Baszler, and the man with the newly restored first name, Matt Riddle, throwing down with Seth Rollins in a feud that has become very personal, and you’ve got the makings of a very big night (or afternoon/morning, in the US) of wrestling indeed.

Keep scrolling to get fully up to speed before watching Clash at the Castle, wherever you might be watching it.

WWE Clash at the Castle

  • When: Saturday, Sept. 3
  • Where: Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
  • Start time: 6 p.m. BST/1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT
  • How to watch: On Peacock in the U.S., or on WWE Network internationally
  • Matches announced: 6

WWE’s war on first names is over

Viva la first names in WWE, as Matt Riddle and Austin Theory are getting theirs back.

The days of WWE wrestlers being forced to go by only their last names are coming to an end, thankfully.

After reports by several outlets leading up to this week’s episode of Raw in Pittsburgh, Riddle was subtly referred to as Matt Riddle during the broadcast prior to his interview segment/argument with Seth Rollins. Later in the show, Theory popped up during a pre-recorded segment with Johnny Gargano, though he wasn’t officially referred to via graphics or the like.

However, Mike Johnson of PWInsider has confirmed that both men will soon be officially going by their first and last names.

Theory is no longer Theory. He will officially return to using his full ring name of Austin Theory going forward, PWInsider.com has confirmed.

Matt Riddle will indeed 100% be going by his full name going forward as well, as seen on last night’s edition of Raw.

The practice of dropping wrestlers’ first names was an oft discussed and generally mocked staple of Vince McMahon’s time in charge of WWE. McMahon apparently thought having performers go by just a single name helped make them more memorable and more likely to get over with fans.

But in practice, the shortening generally came off as silly. Both Riddle and Theory were great examples; Riddle because he was forced to give up using his actual first name while keeping his real life surname, and Theory since his ring name just sounded strange without something in front of it (plus Austin is his real first name as well).

Interestingly, at the time of this post, Riddle’s entry on the WWE.com Superstars page has already been updated to reflect the change, while Theory’s has not. It also remains to be seen if similar thinking applies to others who have lost their first names while transitioning to the main WWE roster, including Ciampa, or wrestlers who switched to a single name while getting creative makeovers, like Butch (formerly Pete Dunne).

Regardless, the stamping out of first names was one of the tropes people associated with Vince McMahon that also happened to be true. The impression is that it won’t be missed by many, if any, WWE fans.