Former WWE star Matt Riddle admitted to failing multiple drug tests due to cocaine use before leaving the company.
Riddle appeared on “The MMA Hour” and spoke candidly to host Ariel Helwani about his time in WWE.
“I went to a strip club and did cocaine a few times,” he said. “That’s why I failed a drug test. … It was for everyone, it was cocaine every time. But honestly, it was just a random night.”
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Matt “Riddle” Riddle attends the WWE SummerSlam After Party at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Delano Las Vegas on August 21, 2021. (Brian Steffey/Getty Images, WWE SummerSlam Afterparty)
Riddle added that the first drug test was a random test conducted by WWE.
“Sometimes you get tested at the end of the month and the beginning of the month,” he explained. “Then there was a week where they failed so many times that they didn’t realize they had failed the second time, but when they failed the first time they were able to get it right twice at once. So that was their result. Please be a little more lenient with me. ”
After being informed that he had failed the serial test, Riddle said he had told WWE officials that he would be better until he failed.
“I was like, ‘Okay, guys, I’ll show you, no more problems,'” Riddle said. “‘Hey, can you guys test me for the next 10 weeks?’ And I did it, I was fine, I didn’t fail a single test, I didn’t do anything. ”
“I thought I was safe, so I went out and had a little party, and then they took a surprise test at my home. I failed and was sent to rehab right after.”
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This wasn’t the only controversy Riddle, who fought in the UFC and is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), dealt with during his time in WWE.
In the summer of 2020, Riddle was accused of sexually assaulting female wrestler Candy Cartwright. She said the incident occurred after an independent show in May 2018 where Riddle asked Cartwright for sex and after she refused, Cartwright strangled her and performed oral sex on her. It is said that he was forced to do so.
There was also an incident at John F. Kennedy Airport in September 2023, in which Mr. Riddle was said to have “sabotaged” a plane change while returning from India. He admitted on the podcast that he had “a few cocktails” and caused a scene by taking the airline’s microphone during a flight delay.
Riddle also said that a Port Authority police officer who appeared to stop him from speaking into a microphone sexually assaulted him, and that in September 2023 he posted a photo of the officer on his Instagram account. Ta.
Matt Riddle celebrates his victory at a New Japan Pro Wrestling event on February 23, 2024 in Sapporo, Japan. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
“There’s nothing worse than being sexually assaulted or harassed at JFK Airport. No means no and just because I’m nice doesn’t mean yes!!! It’s the worst!!!” he wrote in the caption.
He told Helwani about the incident: “I have spoken with Internal Affairs authorities and I have spoken with the FBI.” “I’m not in any trouble, I can tell you that. I’m not going to go into detail about the situation because they asked me not to because I didn’t want to press charges if I didn’t want to. ‘But that’s how I handled the situation. ”
Riddle later filed for a restraining order, alleging that Cartwright harassed and stalked her both in person and over the internet. The restraining order was then scheduled to be lifted in September 2020.
When WWE released him, Riddle didn’t attribute it to this incident outside the ring.
“I don’t think it helped, especially with the UFC merger,” he said. “And I was probably going to make, well, my contract said I was guaranteed to make $1 million this year, which was a lot more than what I made last year and the actual “That was the year before that. So I think there were multiple variables in my retirement. And I also failed some drug tests.”
Riddle told Helwani he was in a rehab facility for 30 days and was asked to spend an additional 30 days, which Helwani agreed to. Mr Riddle said he had learned his lesson and would no longer “lash out like that”.
Riddle, a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has a 13-8 record in the UFC from 2008 to 2013. He wrestled in WWE from 2018 to 2023, and announced his departure at the end of September last year.
Matt Riddle attends the 15th Annual Fighters Only World Mixed Martial Arts Awards at Sahara Las Vegas on December 14, 2023. (Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)
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Riddle competes in New Japan Pro Wrestling with MLW.
