Former WWE star Matt Riddle admitted he failed several drug tests for cocaine prior to his release from the company.
Riddle spoke with Ariel Helwani on ‘The MMA Hour’ Wednesday, while promoting Major League Wrestling Intimidation Games, about his time in WWE and his drug use while in the company. The former WWE star said he smoked marijuana, which was allowed, but took another substance.
‘I went to the strip club and did some cocaine a couple times,’ Riddle said. ‘That was the first one. Well, that was for all of them. It was cocaine each time.’
Riddle said the company randomly drug tests its talent, and there was an instance he failed back-to-back tests.
‘sometimes you get tested, say, at the end of one month and the beginning of another month. So there was one week where I failed bang, bang, didn’t know I failed the second one. By the time I found out I failed the first one, I got two right at one,” he said. “So I think that’s why they were a little more lenient with us.”
After the two failed tests, Riddle said he told the company he could be continuously tested on a weekly basis, which he said he passed. However, he eventually ‘partied a little bit’ and got drug tested after that, which came back positive. As a result, WWE had him go to rehab.
Riddle completed a 30-day drug program, but afterward, the company wanted him to do another month-long program, which he pushed back on. He didn’t specify when this happened during his time with WWE, but he departed the company in September. During his five years with WWE, he was an NXT Tag Team Champion, a United States Champion and two-time Raw Tag Team Champion with Randy Orton, with the team of ‘RK-Bro’ becoming one of the most popular tag teams in 2021-22.
Since leaving WWE, Riddle has competed in Major League Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and he is currently the NJPW World Television Champion.
Riddle said he figured his WWE release was coming since there were no plans for him at WrestleMania 39, but he believes it happened ‘at the right time.’
‘I feel like getting fired by WWE happened at the right time,’ he said. ‘Not saying I won’t go back, or saying I will go back, there’s no discussion there but at the same time, I just had another kid, little Matthew, and with the WWE schedule, it’s a lot.’