Matt Riddle discusses his feud with Seth Rollins; he stated that while they might not like each other, they're professionals, so they do business.
Rollins and Riddle have had real-life issues dating back to 2019, when the former's ex-wife body-shamed some of the women on WWE's roster. Riddle later stated that he apologized to Rollins at WWE Survivor Series 2020. The two stars have been feuding in recent months on WWE Raw, and they previously faced each other at Clash at the Castle, where Rollins scored the win. They're set to collide in the Fight Pit Match at WWE Extreme Rules 2022.
Speaking on WWE After The Bell with Corey Graves, Riddle noted that, in the past, Rollins wouldn't even look at him, but "The Original Bro" was determined to work hard and convince the former world champion to face him in a match. He noted that he knew that, at some point, they'd simply have to do business together, and Rollins apparently realized the same thing.
"Well, he wasn't a fan of me. It's not that I wasn't a fan of his, but somebody close to me at the time said some things, and this, that, and the other thing, and Seth wouldn't look at me, he wouldn't talk to me, he wasn't gonna have anything to do with me. Eventually, it's kind of like Brock and everybody else, you don't have a choice. I'm here, I'm gonna keep working hard. Eventually, you're gonna have to get in the ring with me, and we're gonna have to do business. Eventually, Seth came to that conclusion. But I think he also realizes what I bring to the table. What I'm willing to do to get reactions from the crowd." Riddle said.
He continued by discussing some of the heated shots Rollins has taken at him in on-screen promos, such as referencing his divorce or the fact that he pays child support. Riddle state that he wants people to relate to the stories he's featured in, and Rollins talking trash helps build the intensity of their feud. he emphasized that he likes to go all in with storylines, and Rollins does too.
"Just like, when we get personal, we talk about things we probably shouldn't be talking about. But I'm like, 'Bro, I don't care. I mean, I do pay child support. Things are rough for me. For me, I asked him to keep it as more of a therapeutic thing. Anybody that knows me knows what I'm going through. I think that's the big thing. I think it's something Seth does and people don't realize, I want people to relate. Everybody can relate to being the smaller brother/friend that just wants to be cool and have the other brother, like, that's me and Randy. With Seth it's just two guys that don't like each other and Seth talks some crap that he shouldn't be talking, and we're at that point where I want to hurt him physically, mentally, and emotionally. He does, too. So I think, you know, just trying to build that story and build certain things that for me, the more real it is, the easier it is, the better it is, and that's what makes me working with Seth so good, because he's the same way. He likes to go all in," Riddle said.
Given the aforementioned tension between the two men, Riddle noted that other stars have worked with people they had real-life feuds with. He stated that he and Rollins are professionals, and they do business.
"Kind of just like back in the day, you've got Bret and Shawn, Edge and Matt, just when you have something there already, at the end of the day, me and Seth, we're professional. I might not come off as professional, But I do business, I work, and Seth knows that — so does he. So even if we don't like each other, even though I'm not the biggest fan of his and I know he doesn't like me. We'll get in that ring and we'll work, we'll do business," he said.
The former WWE United States Champion went on to describe how top names like Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Brock Lesnar think he's being disrespectful with some of his comments in interviews, but they come around once they work with him. He emphasized tha he's trying to hype up the story, get buzz, and sell tickets because that's the job.
"A lot of times, I'll say stuff, especially in interviews like this, Guys, like Roman, guys like Brock, guys like Seth, guys, especially the top guys like Randy, they'll hear what I say. They hear how I talk and they find me extremely disrespectful and they don't like it. Then they work with me, they get to know me like, 'Oh, you're just like trying to hype everything up and like, get buzz.' I'm like, 'Yeah, because that's our jobs.' I want people to think I really hate people and people really hate me so I can sell tickets to this fight. That's what I want. Because if I don't, nobody's gonna show up, I'm useless, and I don't have any value. That's how I see it," Riddle said.
Rollins previously discussed his issues with Riddle. You can check out his comments here.
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