Through the years, it has been widely claimed that Matt Riddle is a WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam rip-off. Nonetheless, recently, RVD shut down these infamous comparisons between the 2 men.
Speaking on his “1 Of A Kind” podcast, Van Dam defended Riddle. Based on RVD, The Original Bro is inspired by him fairly than being copied. The veteran said,
“A great RVD ripoff? Yeah, I might consider him an excellent inspiration from RVD, you recognize, loads of similarities, but definitely loads of differences as well. So it’s like, you had Superstar Billy Graham, and then you definately got Hogan, and then you definately got Jesse the Body they usually each, you could possibly say, ripped him off, but in other ways because they didn’t attempt to be exactly him, but they definitely used his inspiration to make what they were. I feel definitely he’s (Matt Riddle) removed from a clone of RVD. Definitely he’s his own person together with his own values. But in addition there’s an awful lot that we will meet on common ground with.”
“I couldn’t be here without an RVD first. Who knows? We’ll never know. But I see how that led to, you recognize, I mean, I used to be one among the one representatives of martial arts on the cards. So, you bought to present me credit for being, you recognize, and galvanizing anyone that is available in after that with the martial arts and stuff like that, you recognize.”
Riddle Reflects On His WWE Run
During a recent TV Insider interview, Matt Riddle recalled that Vince McMahon viewed him as a “goof.” The previous WWE Superstar said,
“I feel loads of times, especially with WWE they cater to the world. They need easy. So you actually can’t be yourself. The corporate itself just doesn’t try to grasp you. I remember after I met Vince and told him I’m a UFC fighter, this and that. I’m wearing flip flops within the [Titan] Towers (WWE headquarters). He’s like, ‘Well, you appear to be a goof.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah I’m a goof, but I can whip your a**. Kurt Angle was a goof, but he’s an Olympic gold medalist.’”
“Eventually, he saw that and ran with the ball. Court has at all times saw the legitimacy behind me. I feel with the controversies I’ve had, he sees the worth in that where loads of people might get scared like AEW or WWE. At the top of the day, I get a haircut, and there are articles. If I do anything, there are articles good or bad. To him, it’s good in a way. To be honest with you, I wish I wasn’t so polarizing. I wish no person cared. It’s good for wrestling though.”