Ex-WWE Star Recalls Awkward Meeting With AEW Boss Tony Khan

A former WWE Superstar isn’t sure Tony Khan likes them.

Matt Riddle is no stranger to controversy and after one incident too many he was released by WWE in September 2023. His exit came after an incident at JFK Airport, where he appeared to be intoxicated, and fellow passengers noted he was “loud and rude.”

Matt Riddle also alleged that he’d been sexually harassed by an officer at the airport.

While many former WWE names have landed in AEW, or at least made an appearance, Riddle is yet to become All Elite.

During a new interview with Steven Muelhausen of SI Takedown, Riddle was asked about potentially moving to AEW, and he readily admitted he’s a big fan of the product.

“With AEW, I think AEW is a fantastic product,” Riddle admits. “I know a lot of the people that work there. I like the company. I like the way they work. I like the people that work there. I think with me, and it’s one of the things I’ve noticed, I’ve been relieved after getting fired from WWE.

I felt that because I was on TV, and I’m such a provocative character at times, everything was magnified so much because I was on TV. The stress of working on TV two to three days a week was a lot. I like pressure. I like stress too, but it was a lot.

The best answer would be to go to AEW, get more money, and work a decent schedule. I didn’t want to work on TV again. I didn’t want the attention for a while. I wanted to step away. I just wanted to do Indies.”

Matt Riddle Left Tony Khan Confused

However, he also revealed that his first meeting with Tony Khan didn’t quite go to plan, and he’s unsure whether the AEW boss likes him.

“I know MLW works with New Japan. New Japan works a lot with AEW. Maybe you’ll see me on an AEW channel or broadcast sooner rather than later. Maybe you won’t,” he said.

“I talked to Tony (Khan). I don’t know if he likes me. He seemed happy. I wrestled Zach Sabre Jr. in Chicago. He seemed cool about it. I don’t know.

When you meet me, I’m very sarcastic. But when I met him, I was like, ‘Oh, you like that match’? But I said it a different way, and he looked at me all confused. And I was like, ‘Never mind, dude’. I just walked away. So that was my experience with that.”

During the same interview, Matt Riddle said the chances of him returning to WWE are “extremely high.” The former Tag Team Champion explained that CM Punk’s return to the company proved anything is possible.

Since leaving WWE, Riddle has become a regular on the independent circuit while appearing for MLW and NJPW.