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Former UFC fighter and current WWE superstar Matt Riddle is at the center of some serious allegations.
Matt Riddle has found himself in some hot water. In the midst of many wrestlers being called out on social media for acts of sexual abuse and predatory behavior, Riddle has been accused of sexual assault by indie wrestler Candy Cartwright.
Cartwright took to Twitter to share her story. Cartwright states that in 2018, Riddle was in a van with her and some other wrestlers, all of which were asleep except them. She alleges that Riddle propositioned her for sex and when she refused, he began to threaten her. Cartwright states that to get out of having sexual intercourse with him, she agreed to perform oral sex on him instead.
I’m posting this because I have been so sad for so long. I didn’t realize that what he did to me was not ok. I realize now, reading these other brave women’s stories, that I can’t be afraid anymore and I have to #speakout
— Candy Cartwright (@CandyCartwright) June 19, 2020
Back in May of 2018 I was riding with Matt Riddle and a few other wrestlers. During the van ride, when the 3 other wrestlers had fallen asleep, Matt asked me to “hop on his dick”. When I refused (although we had previously been together I was
— Candy Cartwright (@CandyCartwright) June 19, 2020
incredibly uncomfortable in that setting ) When I said no, he grabbed me by my throat, choked me and said “what if I just made you?” I ended up giving him oral sex (praying someone wouldn’t wake up) to get out of having intercourse with him. It was incredibly humiliating.
— Candy Cartwright (@CandyCartwright) June 19, 2020
It is never ok to put your hands on a woman, it’s also not ok to not listen when she says no.
— Candy Cartwright (@CandyCartwright) June 19, 2020
Riddle quickly responded to the allegations, retweeting a release from his lawyer and denying the allegations:
Press Release https://t.co/2rHY6jTHKw
— matthew riddle (@SuperKingofBros) June 19, 2020
“The allegations by this independent female performer are completely false and another attempt to harass and humiliate Mr. and Mrs. Riddle and to try to tarnish their reputation in the community. We have been aware for the last two years of this performer stalking the Riddle family. In 2019, our firm had drafted a pleading against this performer to seek an injunction for cyberstalking in the Circuit Court for Orange County, Florida.”
WWE also issued a statement to several media outlets:
“We take any allegation of this nature very seriously and are looking into the matter.”
The 34-year-old fought in the UFC from 2008 to 2013, going 7-3 with 2 No Contests. He was released by the promotion after failing multiple tests for marijuana, and has been outspoken over the years about his dislike for UFC president Dana White.
After making the switch to pro wrestling in 2014, Riddle was viewed as a can’t-miss prospect and was eventually signed by WWE in 2018. He was assigned to their developmental brand, NXT, where he basically used his indie persona, “King of Bros.” He won the tag team championships with Pete Dunne, just dropping them last month.
Coincidentally, Riddle had been called up to one of the main WWE brands, SmackDown, and made his debut on the Fox show last night – the same day as the allegations came to light. The episode was pre-taped, with Riddle taking on and defeating Intercontinental champion AJ Styles in a non-title match.
Due to the #SpeakingOut movement, one wrestler (Jack Gallagher) has already been released by WWE, while AEW issued a statement regarding their contracted wrestler Jimmy Havoc and the allegations against him, saying that he will be undergoing rehabilitation for mental health and substance abuse issues.