“Randy spoke very highly of me,” Controversial ex-WWE Superstar reveals Randy Orton personally requested to work with him

The RK-Bro tag team of Randy Orton and Matt Riddle was one of the most popular acts in WWE.

“Randy spoke very highly of me,” Controversial ex-WWE Superstar reveals Randy Orton personally requested to work with him

Randy Orton (via WWE)

Former WWE Superstar Matt Riddle was notorious for not getting along with other talent backstage. He infamously had off-screen altercations with various stars, like Seth Rollins. However, one talent that the former MMA star always seemed to get along with was Randy Orton. The former Tag Team Champions had a great run on TV and appeared to be friends backstage as well. 

Matt Riddle recently gave an interview on the Johnny I Pro Show where he talked about his controversial WWE career. The former US Champion narrated an incident where he was supposed to tag with Drew McIntyre to take on Retribution’s Mace and T-Bar (now Dijak in NXT). On the same show, The Viper was set to face Braun Strowman.

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For reasons unknown to Riddle, the match between Randy Orton and the Monster Among Men didn’t take place. Instead, Strowman’s spot was given to the 38-year-old, allowing him to have a match against the Apex Predator. The recently fired WWE star revealed that Orton spoke very highly of him after their match took place. The Legend Killer also pitched another program with his future RK-Bro partner.

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After we worked Randy spoke very highly of me. He’s like ‘I want to do something else with him’ and they already had plans that we tag.

Matt Riddle on the Johnny I Pro Show

WWE already had plans for the duo to team up. This eventually led to the formation of the RK-Bro tag team, which would go on to win the division’s championships a couple of times. Ironically, there were many incidents of Orton getting into backstage altercations with other WWE talent during the early days of his career due to his alleged arrogance. Perhaps this similarity between the two made the veteran want to take Riddle under his wing.

Jim Ross names Randy Orton as a top contender for Cody Rhodes

On the Grilling JR podcast, former WWE commentator Jim Ross and host Conrad Thompson talked about the incredible WrestleMania XL weekend. Moments later, the conversation shifted to potential challengers for Cody Rhodes‘ WWE Championship. As such, Thompson named Randy Orton as a top contender for the title, pitching for The Viper to turn heel in the process.

Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes WWE
Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes (via WWE)

Ross added that the Legend Killer could be anything he wanted to be, as he was already an established star. Under the right conditions and storytelling, the match would draw a lot of money for WWE. He added that the match would be nothing but exceptional, and it could close any show in a star-studded way. 

While the duo has not crossed paths in a major way yet, the feud seems bound to happen. Orton has expressed his desire to win the WWE Championship since his return at Survivor Series. Additionally, there is a lot of history between the two, owing to their time in the ‘Legacy’ faction, which WWE could play off. 

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