The King Of Bros, Matt Riddle, is one of the most exciting prospects in WWE right now. With his impressive UFC career and domination of the independent scene, it is no surprise that he has been such a big hit in NXT.
Riddle is a huge fan-favorite, as his carefree attitude mixes brilliantly with his superb hard-hitting in-ring style. This makes him someone that can easily be taken seriously as a main event star. Mixing his MMA submission style with huge strikes and power moves, Riddle can work excellently with both big and small talent. There are countless dream opponents just waiting to take him on in WWE. Here are our top picks!
10 Finn Balor
We will kickstart the list with a dream match that could very much become reality within the year. As Finn Balor is back in NXT and has now turned heel, he's a perfect potential opponent for Matt Riddle.
The two men are very strike-heavy in their offence, which would blend nicely into a match. Riddle has a slight size advantage, which could cause him to dominate the battle. To overcome that difference, the Demon could easily be brought out, but a straight singles match between Balor and Riddle would be entertaining enough.
9 Daniel Bryan
Right now, Daniel Bryan is one of the best wrestlers on the entire planet, making him a dream opponent for pretty much anyone that fans haven't seen him wrestle against yet. Bryan and Riddle are both two excellent strikers, with amazing range in their offence and brilliant grappling and submission skills. In the ring, they should have great chemistry.
The slight size difference would help Riddle's power moves look more effective, while Bryan would bring a great pace to the match.
8 Randy Orton
When Randy Orton wants to, he can pull an incredible match out against anybody. He and Matt Riddle really could produce something special inside a WWE ring, especially if WWE could work in a great story.
There are few who know how to work a crowd better than the Viper, especially when he is a heel. He knows exactly how to get heat by slowing the match down, pulling underhanded tactics, and frustrating his opponents. Working that with Riddle's ability for a big babyface comeback would be a huge match, especially considering how smooth both men are in their work.
7 Dolph Ziggler
He might not be the first name that people think of when it comes to dream opponents for Matt Riddle, but if Dolph Ziggler was given a good amount of time to work with him, there is no doubt they would have an amazing match. Ziggler makes everybody look good, no matter how much talent they have. When he faces someone who is also highly skilled, the match quality tends to be incredible.
Ziggler would make Riddle's offence look incredible while trying to chop him down to size, with the two men being able to blend an amateur wrestling/MMA style into the match as well. This could be a lot of fun.
6 Andrade
Andrade is incredibly underrated on the main roster at the moment, in the sense that WWE hasn't quite committed to pushing him yet. Every time he works, Andrade has an incredible match.
Sadly, he left NXT before Matt Riddle came around, which is a shame: they would certainly have had a brilliant match together that would have been full of strikes, submissions, and brilliant reversals. Riddle works best when he is put against someone who likes to keep a high tempo to the match, which is exactly what Andrade does. He'd be an ideal opponent.
5 Aleister Black
Speaking of someone who is underrated on the main roster, Aleister Black has been criminally underused: he is one of the best in-ring talents that the company has.
While Matt Riddle loves to use strikes in his matches, nobody does it better than the former NXT Champion. With his ridiculous pace inside a ring and fantastic transitions, he would work perfectly with Riddle. These two men would work an incredibly fast-paced wrestling match that would have everyone on the edge of their seats, making this one WWE needs to book.
4 Cesaro
Who doesn't want to see this match? Two of the best professional wrestlers in the world going one-on-one is something that any wrestling fan should get excited about.
While Cesaro isn't necessarily a strike-based wrestler, he is someone who blends many styles into one, which is what makes him so impressive. Always working at a top speed and having some amazing transitional moves, he really would work to perfection with Riddle. If these two men were given a good amount of time to put on a match, there is no doubt it would be amazing. Hopefully, one day we'll get to see that.
3 WALTER
This is another dream match that could happen very soon, considering that WALTER has begun popping up on NXT now. What a match this would be, between two of the hardest hitters in wrestling.
WALTER is an incredible wrestler and can put on a classic with anyone if he is given enough time. Being incredibly dominant in the ring, it would be interesting to see him put against someone of Riddle's size and strength (for a change). With Riddle, there is a chance we could see him throw WALTER around the ring, which is something we aren't used to seeing.
2 Goldberg
There is no love lost between Matt Riddle and Goldberg as the two men simply cannot stand each other. WWE is well aware of the bad blood between them, hence why the company filmed their first-ever meeting backstage, which created an incredibly awkward atmosphere with the two men clearly hating each other.
Even though it would require both men to be very professional inside the ring, the fact that they legitimately don't like each other would spark plenty of interest from the WWE Universe, making this a huge dream match.
1 Brock Lesnar
When it comes to Matt Riddle, there is one man in particular that everyone wants to see him square up against: Brock Lesnar.
It isn't often someone comes out and has absolutely no fear of the Beast, and because Riddle has that attitude it would make for an intriguing match-up. Riddle's build and MMA background would make him a legitimate threat to Lesnar. Riddle wants to retire Lesnar, and having him do that and go on to become the next big MMA-style wrestler in WWE would be a fantastic change of pace for WWE's main event scene.