WWE’s Matt Riddle is a divisive figure in the wrestling community, but Vince McMahon is reportedly a fan of the superstar. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio , by way of Ringside News , the chairman doesn’t fully understand the persona. However, he does think he’s entertaining, and that goes a long way for the boss.
Riddle refers to himself as “The King of Bros,” and his personality is reminiscent of a character in a classic comedy from the 1980s. This has won him a lot of fans, though it remains to be seen if he’ll be given a bigger spotlight down the line.
“I don’t know if he wants to push him to a main event, but he likes him on TV doing this stuff. Vince never probably saw Fast Times at Ridgemont High and he doesn’t realize he’s doing a 40-year-old character with Jeff Spicoli. So he likes this character, he likes Matt Riddle, he just doesn’t get the bro thing, but he thinks he’s funny so we gotta keep him on TV.”
Riddle’s outspoken nature has resulted in him getting some backstage heat from top performers. He’s been openly critical of Bill Goldberg’s wrestling ability, which hasn’t sat well with the Hall of Famer. He also got into a backstage confrontation with Brock Lesnar at this year’s Royal Rumble .
Officials appear to enjoy Riddle’s personality, however, as he continues to speak his mind in interviews. The young performer has been compared to Shawn Michaels during his early days, which supposedly sits well with some members of management.
As The Inquisitr previously noted, McMahon wants Riddle to showcase a more serious side to his persona, which is why his name was shortened recently. This came after the chairman enjoyed one of his matches against Sheamus on Monday Night Raw .
However, as The Inquisitr report highlighted, McMahon reportedly doesn’t see the former UFC fighter as a top star yet. That’s why his push was stalled earlier this year. The latest development suggests that McMahon hasn’t changed his mind about Riddle.
Riddle is still a fairly new addition to the main roster, and it might take some time until the chairman trusts him as an elite star. However, the fact he enjoys him at all is a positive as the boss has been known to go off some roster members fairly quickly.
As The Inquisitr previously noted, McMahon reportedly only fully endorses eight superstars at the moment.