I'm a pretty nice guy.
— Matt Riddle
You don't pick up things, get to the top of multiple industries and sports without working hard.
A lot of people don't know who they are as a wrestler. Even people that walk into the doors of the Performance Center. They might be world-class athletes or models, but they don't know who they are in the ring.
My goal is to change NXT. It is to change every company I've ever been to, and I've changed every company.
I'm about great competition. That's why I can have a great smile beforehand and connect with the crowd, and then, when I get in the ring, I flip that switch.
Everybody in wrestling is usually a pretty nice guy, they're all just hard workers trying to get their opportunities.
I want more unpredictability. I want more realism. I think the fans would appreciate that, and that's what I've brought since day one.
When I was in the UFC, I would get tickets for a fight, and then what I would do is go in the crowds and watch the rest of the fights. A lot of times, I would end up taking pictures and signing people's books. I didn't care if I got any money or anything. I was just there enjoying my time and watching the fights.
I like to hit hard, I like to be hit hard, and I like really competitive matches. That's my take on pro wrestling.
I was probably one of the top three or four wrestlers in the world on the indies, just killing it. Nobody really saw me going to a bigger company because of my past and just how people view me.
When I first started, I had a mullet, and I was trying to play a hillbilly persona. While it was fun, it wasn't me.
The first time I was in a ring with William Regal, I called him 'Bro,' and from there, everyone just kept saying 'Bro' to me. I kept saying 'Bro,' and before I knew it, I was deemed The King of Bros.
I try to be as humble as possible, but I'm just on another level. That's all there is to it.
That's why I like the indies: because I like being who I am. I get to be who I am in the ring, on the microphone, everywhere. It's great. I never have to get out of character because I am Matthew Riddle.
In fighting, if you get hit in the face, you don't show it. You can't show it.
Take into consideration I get to play-fight in my underwear every week, and I get paid very well to do it.
I've always been a bro, and I've used the word 'bro' a lot.
I have a huge amount of respect for Lesnar. You know, he's done everything since he came into it. He works hard. You don't look like Lesnar without working hard.
The thing for me is - and one of the reasons I was never a fan of Goldberg in the beginning when everybody was like 'Oh, he's so good! - I was like, 'No, he's terrible, he's hurting people,' and there's nothing else. He just has three-minute matches.
It's almost like my life is a fairytale.
Only one person can retire Brock Lesnar - only one person can end his career - and that person's going to be me.
I have a lot of options in professional wrestling.
If you get Fight of the Night, there's a reason you got Fight of the Night: it's usually because you had that crowd on its feet, going crazy during the fight, almost like a professional wrestling match.
Promoters saw the potential in me and the value in me. It was because of companies like Evolve, PWG, Progress, and Beyond Wrestling. Those are the big ones that gave me a push and made my name worth something on the indies.
The more name value I have, the better. The more undeniable I am, the better. Then I can get what I want.
To me, the more the merrier. The more times I can get in that ring and get in front of a crowd and wrestle, the better.
I think with the right opportunity, I can go as far as I want, but you never know.
In sports entertainment, you can be larger than life.
I know I'm skilled - I know my background - and the people who are familiar with my credentials know better than to try me.
Lesnar is a bully. I'd hurt him and show him that he couldn't hurt me. That doesn't sound too technical, but in a fight with Brock Lesnar, you need to go after him.
It doesn't matter if you're the best wrestler in the world and can do every move perfectly; if you don't connect with the crowd or sell well or have good promos, nobody cares.
I get more respect doing professional wrestling than I ever did in MMA.
I love fighting, but I don't miss waiting months upon months just to fight once in front of people and then have to wait months again to fight once in front of people.
I'm usually just so laid back most of the times.
I'm happy wrestling.
I am me. I've always been a character, and my character's story lives into pro wrestling.
Bill Goldberg can't wrestle.
I like to set goals that seem impossible.
There's guys like Daniel Bryan and CM Punk that incorporated mixed martial arts submissions and moves into professional wrestling. I feel like the way it was incorporated was really good, but there's not enough people doing it.
My goal isn't to be one of the best; it's to change the game, to change the way things work.
If someone comes up to me and asks for an autograph or picture, who am I to say no?
I'm pretty sure I could beat Tyron Woodley. Nothing against him.
Not only do I have fun in the ring, but I have fun walking out to the ring. I have fun walking away from the ring.
I think a lot of people are excited that WWE was willing to give me a chance, and they want to see how far I can go with it.
I always had watched pro wrestling. I happened to be watching the WWE Network one day and started watching differently: I wasn't watching it as a fan, but instead I was watching it as something that I could possibly be a part of.
I am not the biggest fan of Dana White.
With wrestling, everybody always asks what they can do to get signed or how can they get over. There's no right or wrong answers. That's why I think the best thing you can do is be yourself.
When you have a guy like me who's a former UFC fighter and who is basically a normal guy who can do exceptional things, that connects with people rather than some random Viking who can also do exceptional things.
MMA is like the Colosseum in Rome: the fans want to see violence.
If you train, you work hard, you're actually 110-percent dedicated, you're doing it for all the right reasons, you're probably gonna end up on the top. You know the cream always rises to the top.
