Former WWE star Matt Riddle has stated that he received death threats following accusations that he no-showed a wrestling event in the United Kingdom. The controversy began after Riddle failed to appear at Global Wrestling Kingdom’s “A New Kingdom Rises” show in Barnsley, England, on August 31, where he was scheduled to face Simon Miller.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Riddle addressed the situation, claiming the promotion did not meet his booking requirements and that he was never informed the event was for a charitable cause until just before the show date. The event was organized to raise funds for charities supporting survivors of domestic abuse and homeless veterans.
“I see companies like this in the UK all the time,” Riddle stated. “They didn’t even sell 150 tickets… I woke up this morning to a bunch of death threats. ‘How dare you f**king scam a charity.'”
Riddle elaborated on his claim regarding the event’s charitable status. “I’m like, dog, four months ago, this wasn’t a charity event. Three months ago, it wasn’t a charity event. This thing, dude, this week was the first time I got a message saying, ‘Well, you’re gonna do this to a charity event,'” he added. Global Wrestling Kingdom, however, has stated that the charity aspect of the show was announced in July.
Instead of traveling to the UK, Riddle was reportedly backstage at the Real American Freestyle event on August 30th and then competed for Boca Raton Championship Wrestling in Florida on August 31st. A driver arranged by GWK was left waiting for several hours at the airport for Riddle, who never traveled for the booking.
Reports indicate that Riddle had expressed concerns about his booked flights, describing them as “cheap,” and was unhappy about a two-day hotel stay in Barnsley. The promotion attempted to arrange paid seminars to provide him with additional income, but the plans could not be finalized on short notice.
Following the no-show, Scottish wrestling star Grado stepped in to face Simon Miller. The promotion had to issue refunds for meet-and-greet packages that had been sold featuring Riddle. While it was initially reported that Riddle had not returned his deposit, Wrestling News Co later confirmed that the financial dispute was being resolved, with Riddle paying back the deposit and promising to reimburse expenses.
This is not Riddle’s first no-show controversy in 2025. He previously missed a Championship Wrestling from Memphis event in January to attend Nick Hogan’s wedding. Riddle, who was released from his WWE contract in September 2023, is the current MLW World Heavyweight Champion and continues to be active on the independent circuit.