What went into MLW‘s decision to turn Matt Riddle heel over the weekend at their Slaughterhouse event?
Saturday night at MLW Slaughterhouse, Matt Riddle used a distraction to hit Alex Hammerstone with a low blow to pick up the victory. This was very out of character for what we’ve seen from The King of Bros in his MLW run so far.
After the match, Riddle would cut a heel promo on the crowd, announcing that the King of Bros is dead and it is now the era of the “Rude Dude.”
So what led to this shift in character taking place, and how long has it been in MLW’s plans to change up the former WWE Superstar?
According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp (via Fightful Select), Riddle’s heel turn has been in the plans for MLW since late in the Summer. The company’s decision was two-fold. One, they believe they need more top heels in the company. And two, fans have been turning on Riddle in recent months, and the company wasn’t interested in fighting that.
How has Matt Riddle’s MLW return gone so far?
Following his WWE departure in 2023, Matt Riddle would return to MLW at their first event of 2024, Kings of Colosseum on January 6, defeating now current WWE Superstar Jacob Fatu.
One year later, at Kings of Colosseum 2025, Riddle defeated Satoshi Kojima to win the MLW World Championship for the first time. Riddle’s title reign would last 245 days before dropping the title last month to Mads Krule Krugger at Fightland.
READ MORE: TMZ Host Reacts To Claims That Matt Riddle Incident Was A Work
What do you make of this report? Do you think Major League Wrestling made the right decision to turn Matt Riddle heel at MLW Slaughterhouse? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
