The controversy surrounding Matt Riddle’s failure to appear at a United Kingdom charity event on August 31 has intensified, with Riddle now verbally attacking the British fanbase. The incident began when Riddle did not show up for Global Wrestling Kingdom’s debut event in Barnsley, England, where he was scheduled to face Simon Miller in the main event.
The show, “A New Kingdom Rises,” was organized to raise funds for charities supporting domestic abuse survivors and homeless veterans. On the night of the event, a driver was left waiting for Riddle for several hours. The promotion, which had been advertising the main event since May, was forced to announce a change, with wrestler Grado stepping in as a last-minute replacement. Grado received the call on Saturday night and drove five hours on short notice to make the show.
Riddle had previously communicated his dissatisfaction with the arrangements. According to reports, he described the flights as “cheap” and was unhappy about a two-day hotel stay in Barnsley. The promotion attempted to organize pro wrestling seminars for Riddle to generate extra income during his stay but was unable to finalize them. Riddle later informed GWK that he had accepted another booking but might still make their show, before communication ceased. Instead of traveling to the UK, he was reportedly at the inaugural Real Freestyle Wrestling event on August 30.
While Riddle has since denied intentionally no-showing the event, stating the provisions were “absolutely unacceptable,” the situation escalated due to backlash from fans, particularly after the charitable nature of the show became widely known.
Speaking on Inside the Ring, Riddle claimed he received death threats from UK fans. He responded with harsh criticism of the entire fanbase, a group he says he “used to love.”
“The UK got really soft. You guys are a bunch of btches, right? There, I said it when I was in the UFC and I’ll say it again,”* Riddle stated. “They’re a bunch of butter-tooth Brits and they’re btches. They need to get some sunlight. I don’t know what the deal is, but they’ve all gotten soft. And dude, the amount of people that came for me—‘Oh, I can’t believe you would do that at a charity event,’ blah blah blah. And I’m just like, come on, guys.”*
As of today, September 3, Riddle has not returned the deposit he was paid for the appearance. This marks his second documented no-show in 2025, following a similar incident for a Championship Wrestling from Memphis event in January.