Vince McMahon Had Surprising Reaction To Ex-WWE Star’s Promo Mistake
A former champion in WWE has revealed how Vince McMahon reacted to when there was a mistake during a backstage promo on Raw.
Matt Riddle is a former United States Champion in WWE who also found his most success as the RK-Bro tag team with Randy Orton. The Riddle and Orton team were Raw Tag Team Champions together and they had an act that was very popular with fans.
It was a unique pairing because Riddle was known for being goofy and aloof at times, which perhaps played into his persona as a guy who liked to smoke marijuana. Orton is more of a stoic veteran known for being serious, so they found a way to work together as an odd couple tag team.
Vince McMahon was known for being a tough boss during his 40 years of running WWE as the company’s Chairman, CEO, and Head of Creative.
After a January 2024 sexual harassment and sex trafficking lawsuit by former WWE employee Janel Grant against McMahon, Vince walked away from the company that he built because he was told to do so by new owners TKO Group and parent company Endeavor.
Matt Riddle was fired by WWE in September 2023 when Paul “Triple H” Levesque was in the role of Chief Content Officer running the creative team, but McMahon was still around. Prior to his firing, Riddle spent about three years on the WWE main roster with McMahon as the man running creative for most of his run.
Vince McMahon Laughed During Matt Riddle’s WWE Raw Promo Botch
The Matt Riddle character was known for rambling and telling stories as a way to annoy other people in WWE. On the March 29, 2021, edition of Raw, Riddle approached former WWE Women’s Champion Asuka backstage and rambled about whether people liked scooters in Japan, which is where Asuka is from. Riddle then admitted “I forgot what I was saying” and left the screen.
During the Developmentally Speaking podcast, Riddle admitted that Vince McMahon thought it was hilarious while Orton also enjoyed it and so did WWE’s Executive Director Bruce Prichard. However, they also told Riddle not to do it again.
“Vince thought it was hilarious. Bruce Prichard [thought the same]. Randy really thought it was funny. I was worried I was gonna get fired or in trouble or taken off TV, and they’re like, ‘Perfect. It was perfect for the character.’ And I was like, ‘Sweet, cool.’ They’re like, ‘Don’t do it again, though.’ ‘I won’t, I won’t. I won’t make it a regular thing!'”
Matt Riddle wants to return to WWE some day, especially to have a storyline with Randy Orton again, even if it means they are rivals instead of allies.