Former WWE star Matt Riddle admitted to failing multiple drug tests due to cocaine use before leaving the organization.
Riddle made an appearance on “The MMA Hour,” where he was candid with host Ariel Helwani about the situation while in WWE.
“I went to the strip club and did cocaine a couple of times,” he said. “I didn't pass a drug test for that… That was for all of them, it was cocaine every time. But honestly, it was just random nights.”
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Matt “Riddle” Riddle attends the WWE SummerSlam After Party in Delano Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on August 21, 2021. (Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for WWE SummerSlam After Party)
Riddle added that the first drug test was a random one administered by WWE.
“Sometimes you get tested at the end of one month and the beginning of another,” he explained. “So, there was one week where I missed, bang bang, I didn't know I missed the second one, and when I missed the first one, I got two right at once. So, I think that's why they were a little bit more lenient on me.”
After receiving notification that he had failed consecutive tests, Riddle said he told WWE officials he would be better, until he wasn't.
“I was like, 'Okay guys, I'm going to show you there are no more problems,'” Riddle said. “'Hey, you guys can test me for the next 10 weeks.' And I did, I was fine, I didn't fail a test, I didn't do anything.”
“When I thought I was safe and sound, I went out to have some fun, they gave me a random test at home. I didn't pass it and they took me to rehab shortly after.”
VIRGIL, WWE LEGEND, DEATH AT 61
This wasn't the only controversy Riddle, who fought in the UFC and is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), faced while in WWE.
In the summer of 2020, Riddle was accused of sexually assaulting a female wrestler, Candy Cartwright. She alleged that the incident occurred after an independent show in May 2018, where Riddle asked Cartwright to have sex with him, and after she refused, he strangled her and forced her to give him oral sex.
There was also an incident at JFK Airport in September 2023, where Riddle was “acting in a disruptive manner” while transferring flights during a return from India. He admitted on the podcast that he had a “couple of cocktails” and grabbed the airline microphone during a delayed flight and caused a disturbance.
Riddle also said that a Port Authority police officer sexually assaulted him when they showed up to prevent him from speaking into the microphone, and posted a photo of the officer to his Instagram account in September 2023.
Matt Riddle celebrates a victory during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling event on February 23, 2024 in Sapporo, Japan. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
“There's nothing like being sexually assaulted and harassed at JFK airport. No means no and just because I'm nice doesn't mean yes!!! A-hole!!!” she wrote in the caption.
“I talked to Internal Affairs, I talked to the FBI,” he told Helwani about the incident. “I'm not in trouble, I can tell you that. I'm not going to go into the details of the situation because they asked me not to unless I want to press charges, and I didn't want to press charges. But that's how that situation was handled.” .
Riddle later filed a restraining order against Cartwright, saying she stalked and harassed him in person and over the Internet. She would later withdraw the restraining order in September 2020.
When WWE released him, Riddle didn't think this out-of-ring incident was the reason.
“I don't think it helped, especially with the UFC merger,” he said. “And I was probably going to win, well, it was written in my contract that I was going to make a million dollars this next year guaranteed, which was a lot more than I made last year and a lot more than I made last year.” I'm doing the previous year. So, I think there were multiple variables that influenced my departure. “Plus, I failed a couple of drug tests.”
Riddle told Helwani that he was in rehab for 30 days and was told to do it another 30 days, to which he agreed. Riddle says that he learned his lesson and that he won't “go out and get angry like that anymore.”
Riddle, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, owns a UFC record of 13-8, which was from 2008 to 2013. He fought in WWE from 2018 to 2023, and announced his departure in late September of 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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Along with MLW, Riddle wrestles in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
