“I understand Tony’s reluctance,” 72-year-old wrestling veteran comments on whether AEW would sign controversial ex-WWE star
A legendary wrestling name has opined on Tony Khan's reported stance of signing former WWE star who's had his fair share of controversies.
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Should Tony Khan sign former WWE? [via- Yahoo Sports and WWE]
AEW President Tony Khan always keeps his head on the swivel about bringing talented names over to his company. And if there’s a WWE tag attached to them in any capacity, Khan’s more likely to pursue. However, it doesn’t hold true for one, at least for now. Recently, it was reported that former WWE Superstar Matt Riddle was highly unlikely to be signed by AEW.
Senior AEW commentator Jim Ross believes Riddle’s very talented, but is it enough for him to find a spot in the company? Jim analyzed the situation on his ‘Grilling JR’ podcast. The 72-year-old wrestling veteran said he understands Tony Khan‘s reluctance to bring someone like Matt on board. Ross’ well-aware of Riddle’s notorious past and terms it baggage on The Original Bro.
However, JR has no idea how heavy that weighs. Ross compared Matt Riddle to Kevin Von Erich, saying The Original Bro is kind of a lookalike. Jim said it’s up to Tony Khan to decide whether to hire the controversial wrestling figure or not.
I understand Tony’s reluctance because Matt has a little baggage. How much that baggage weighs, I don’t know, but I know he’s a very talented kid, got a great look. He’s got that Kevin Von Erich look. He wrestles barefoot. I’ll never say never..........Jim Ross via his Grilling JR podcast
Because if he does come to AEW, he’d play his part as a commentator to make the 38-year-old seem like a big deal, said Ross. Earlier this year, Matt met Khan. And the meeting was awkward. Following his NJPW World Television title loss to Zack Sabre Jr. at NJPW: Windy City Riot in April, The King of Bros ran into the AEW owner backstage.
Riddle had Tony all confused by directly asking him whether he liked his match or not. The former RK-Bro member realized it wasn’t the right thing to do and just walked away. That was Matt’s first face-to-face encounter with Khan that wasn’t as pleasing as he would’ve expected.
Why was Matt Riddle released from WWE in the first place?
Exactly a year ago, WWE released Matt Riddle from his contract. It wasn’t something the company had long planned but was forced to give a knee-jerk reaction as the former United States Champion continued to indulge himself in malpractices.
He was even shielded by WWE on various grounds, including the failed drug test results. Just days before WWE sacked him, Riddle was spotted creating ruckus at an airport. He was inebriated and even accused the on-site personnel of s*xually assaulting him.
The incident only added to his woes, as that was the final nail in the coffin. Later on, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T claimed that the former tag team champion had become a liability for WWE.
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