Matt Riddle repeatedly taunted WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg on social media while he was in NXT, leading to a televised confrontation (filmed for a behind-the-scenes documentary) between them at SummerSlam in 2019.
However, there have long been rumours about a second, unseen clash, which allegedly saw Riddle tell Goldberg that he isn't a good professional wrestler. Riddle has now opened up on what was said between them and doubled down on his disdain for the WCW icon.
"Well, we have one talk that’s filmed right. And now we talked again, and that was also filmed, but that was never brought to the forefront," Riddle shared. "He came up to me again. He said he found me very disrespectful and rude, and I don’t understand the business. And I go, I see your point."
"And then I go, 'I just don’t think you’re that great of a pro wrestler.' And he goes, 'Oh, well, my bank accounts huge,' and this and that. And I go, 'Bill, your bank account..' And I mean, this will probably always be bigger than mine, but at the end of the day, nobody is going to go back to watch that Bill Goldberg 30-minute classic match. His best match is probably with DDP."
He added, "But let’s be real, other than a couple of spears and a jackhammer, that’s about it. I would never want you to run or teach a school, because you really don’t understand. And you were pushed so far to the forefront, you don’t get you know, you really don’t, because you never had to grind, you never had to work. He’s a liability. He is dangerous."
Riddle's time in WWE ended after various issues with the company backstage, including testing positive for marijuana. That and Randy Orton's back injury led to an abrupt end for the RK-Bro tag team, a shame as their partnership was embraced by fans in a big way.
They held the RAW Tag Team Championships twice, and Riddle has now revealed what the original plan was for their eventual breakup.
"Me and Randy are tight, you know. The story eventually, they originally wanted Randy to turn on me, and I go, 'Well, typical, that’s what Randy does. You know, that’s what Randy does,'" Riddle explained, revealing he wanted to be the one who turned on The Viiper.
"I was like, guys like, 'I’m new to the scene, still for WWE, especially compared to Randy, and if he turns on me, they’re not going to cheer for me. They’re going to boo me and cheer for the legend that is Randy Orton.' I was like, 'I would like to turn on Randy.' And Randy agreed. The Office agreed."
When I explained what I thought would happen, they all agreed, and then they’re probably going to have me turn on Randy and turn heel. And I was very much looking forward to that, not just because of the matches, but being able to dive into a different version of my character," Riddle said of what might have been.
You can hear more from the reigning MLW World Champion in the player below.