-- As reported yesterday, Matt Riddle was informed of his release in the afternoon before WWE Smackdown went on air, ending a tumultuous tenure with the company that was littered with various controversies over the years. The latest incident affecting Riddle was a scenario at JFK airport where the wrestler claimed he was sexually assaulted, leading to an investigation. After that went public, Riddle was pulled from all TV and house shows with the reasoning backstage being that it was a "medical issue" that was keeping him away.
-- While a report last week noted that Riddle was expected at this past Monday's WWE Raw, fightfulselect.com is reporting that was not the case and Riddle was never planned for the 9/18 show, suggesting that the rumor that he would be back likely originated from outdated information. Sources confirmed that Riddle was never included in any creative plans for the show at any point and wasn't around backstage either. The implication appears to be that WWE simply didn't expect Riddle to be coming back any time soon, if at all.
-- While away from WWE, Riddle was said to be doing some grappling training this week and was noted to be in "good spirits" prior to being informed of his release. One WWE higher up stated that unfortunately for him, Riddle simply burned through too many opportunities while in WWE and it likely played a significant factor in him being let go.
