Matt Riddle has yet to make his on-screen NXT debut, but he's already the talk of the town in Florida.
Speaking to The Main Event on ESPN 106.3 discussed why he signed with NXT after it looked like his extracurricular activities -- namely his marijuana use -- would keep him out of the promotion.
"I think, based on my past and everything like that, people never thought I would be with a company like WWE or be at this level again. I was killin' it on the Indies," he said. "I was traveling the world and was probably one of the top three or four wrestlers in the world on the Indies. Nobody really saw me going to a bigger company because of my past and just how people view me."
Riddle was nearly WWE-bound a few years ago, but the smoke surrounding him was still fresh and the two sides could not agree to terms. As time passed, WWE stance seemed to soften. It was a phone call with Triple H that changed the path of Riddle's wrestling career.
"I actually got a direct call from our main man 'Trips', Mr. Triple H, Paul Levesque. It was good," said Riddle. "About three years ago I was about to get signed and we talked about that because I was supposed to possibly get signed then and it didn't happen. We talked about that. He's like, 'We got good intentions.' (He) made me feel good with working with NXT and working with him. Honestly, that's why I signed up and we'll see where it takes me."
As for what fans can expect from Riddle in NXT, he believes the sky is the limit.
"I think a lot of people are excited that WWE was willing to give me a chance and they want to see how far I can go with it," he stated. "I was in the UFC, I was ranked in the top 10 in the world and I was released from there. Now I'm in WWE, I'm getting a great reaction from every crowd. With the right opportunity, I can go as far as I want."
Riddle made his NXT debut at a live event on Sept. 21, defeating Fabian Aichner in singles competition. He competed at PROGRESS' Hello Wembley event over the weekend, losing to Mark Haskins.