WWE Creative Laughed At Pitch To Create Popular Tag Team

Matt Riddle has revealed that WWE creative were not initially keen on him teaming up with Randy Orton.

The popular duo, collectively known as RK Bro, lifted the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship on two occasions during a successful year together before a serious back injury to Orton in May 2022 halted the teams progress.

The pair would be destined not to reunite after Riddle was let go by the company during Orton’s injury hiatus. The 38 year-old former UFC fighter spent five years with WWE before departing in the wave of releases following the Endeavor takeover and subsequent WWE/UFC merger in September 2023.

Despite the undoubted success of the duo, Matt Riddle has recently revealed that WWE creative were not initially on board with the idea of teaming he and Orton together.

Speaking during an appearance on the ‘Johnny I Pro Show‘, Riddle claimed that his original suggestions that he team with the ‘Apex Predator’ were laughed off by management:

“Randy was supposed to wrestle Braun Strowman one night and I was supposed to tag with Drew against Mace and T Bar you know when Retribution was still around.

I don’t know what happened but Randy and Braun didn’t end up wrestling and they switched Braun with me. So I got to wrestle Randy instead. After we worked Randy spoke very highly of me. He’s like ‘I want to do something else with him’.

Weeks before this I suggested we tag as RK Bro and the writing team just kinda laughed at me. Which most of my ideas they laugh and then like 2 weeks later they’ll be like ‘Hey I think we gotta do this’ and I’m like ‘Sounds awesome.’ I don’t even bring it up to them.”

Released WWE Star Offered Support By Drew McIntyre

Jinder Mahal became one of a number of names to follow Riddle out of the WWE exit door following another wave of departures on 19th April 2024.

‘The Modern Day Maharaja’ was reportedly a popular figure backstage and was quickly offered strong words of support for his future by former 3MB team mate Drew McIntyre following the revelation that the former WWE Champion was bound for pastures new.

H/T: SEScoops for the above transcription.