Nearly a year after returning to Major League Wrestling, Matt Riddle defeated Satoshi Kojima at Kings of Colosseum to win the MLW World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.
Riddle recalled the “incredible evening” in an interview with PK Press Club Digital.
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Matt Riddle celebrates his victory at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. (MLW)
“It feels good,” he said of his title win. “It took a while, I thought. But you know, anything worth having isn’t easy, and that feels really, really good.”
Riddle nearly got his hands on the MLW World Heavyweight Championship in 2018 when he faced the professional wrestler now known as Swerve Strickland. He failed during the nearly 22-minute match.
After a journey through the independent circuit, WWE and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Riddle found himself in MLW last year, starting with a match against Jacob Fatu. Since then, he has been on a roll.
“To be able to do everything I did and then come full circle and win the heavyweight championship against Kojima, who is also an absolute legend, it couldn’t have been better,” he said. “It was a sensational weekend. The crowd was red hot in Texas and it was an incredible night.”
Matt Riddle wins the MLW title. (MLW)
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Riddle said his experience in Major League Wrestling was even better than before. Riddle is far from the only notable name on the list. Mistico, KENTA, Donovan Dijak, Tom Lawlor and Bobby Fish are just a few of the notable names in the organization.
“It’s only gotten bigger and better since [a year ago]”But even then, I was working with the best people in the business, and I was working with the best competitors in the business,” Riddle told PK Press Club Digital. “I lost in the final to Swerve and we’ve all seen what he’s done since, just like everyone has seen what I’ve done since.
“MLW is not like a locker room full of children’s games. They have, quote, a long list of fires and all the talent from CMLL, the talent from New Japan. …Since I’ve been back , it’s just the best guys and a top promotion and having the opportunity to have high-level matches.”
Riddle may have started the year with a bang, but it’s only going to get tougher from here on.
Matt Riddle shows off the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. (MLW)
He will be back in action to defend the championship against two opponents: Kojima and Alex Kane. The three will meet in a triple threat match at MLW SuperFight 6 on February 8 at Center Stage in Atlanta.
