New behind-the-scenes details have emerged regarding the ongoing dispute between Matt Riddle and the UK-based promotion Global Wrestling Kingdom (GWK) over his no-show for their August 31 event. While Riddle has already publicly addressed the situation, information learned by Ringside News clarifies that the disagreement stemmed from scheduling and compensation issues that were in place long before the promoter’s public accusations.
Riddle stated that his decision was not about skipping a booking, but about refusing to spend two unscheduled and uncompensated days in London. He explained his position directly:
“I had nothing scheduled. What, I was gonna sit in a hotel room for two days in London? I told you multiple times I can’t do that, I wouldn’t do that, and I had work on Friday, Saturday, even Thursday. And I told you I’d fly to London on Saturday evening. You said you’d pay for it, and I said, ‘No, take it out of my pay, whatever.’ You guys refused.”
Instead of traveling to the UK, Riddle worked dates in the United States that weekend, including an appearance for Boca Raton Championship Wrestling in Miami. He also directly refuted GWK’s claims that the event was for charity and that he refused to return his deposit.
“So I flew to Miami and wrestled there, alright? Also, I never said I wouldn’t pay you guys back. That’s a lie. And this show wasn’t a charity event. That’s another lie, a last-second change.”
In a detailed statement of its own, GWK presented a timeline that challenges some of Riddle’s points. The promotion stated that Riddle’s flights were booked and approved by his manager in April 2025. Responding to Riddle’s complaints about the flight quality—which he called “the worst flight in history, bro—middle seat, no meal, no bag”—GWK noted that screenshots sent to him confirmed two meals were included and that seat allocation occurs during the online check-in process, which Riddle had not completed.
Despite an agreement being in place for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday appearances, the promoters booked Riddle an earlier flight ticket that did not align with the finalized schedule.
GWK’s statement detailed a communication breakdown leading up to the event. The promotion said that after receiving a promo video from Riddle on the Wednesday before the show, they received no further responses until Friday evening. This was after a driver had already waited for several hours at the airport. It was at this point Riddle informed them he was unhappy with his flight and had taken other bookings.
The promotion confirmed that Riddle has since returned his deposit and has given his word to reimburse his expenses. With Riddle absent from the August 31 show in Barnsley, England, Grado was brought in as a last-minute replacement to face Simon Miller in the main event.