wrestling / News

Note On Contradictions With Matt Riddle Suspension Story and WWE’s Wellness Policy

December 16, 2022 | Posted by Joseph Lee
Matt Riddle WWE Smackdown Image Credit: WWE

It was previously reported that the reason Matt Riddle was written out of WWE storylines was because he failed his second drug test with WWE. This led to Riddle getting suspended and sent to rehab. However, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, this actually contradicts WWE’s Wellness Policy.

The rule of thumb is that the first offense results in a 30-day suspension. While Riddle’s Summerslam match with Seth Rollins was pulled, he still appeared on the show. He didn’t wrestle from July 25 (RAW) and August 20 (live event) but that is less than thirty days. His current storyline injury, meant to write him out for the alleged second failure, will keep him off of TV for six weeks. But this is also different from the policy, as that is normally a suspension of sixty days and mandatory rehab. Obviously, six weeks is shorter than sixty days.

WWE also did not announce any drug test failure or suspension publicly, which is also the policy. It’s unknown if WWE has changed their policy and simply didn’t announce it, but they’ve yet to comment on the Riddle situation.

A source close to Riddle said that he was taking time off due to the pressure of going through a divorce.

article topics :

Matt Riddle, Joseph Lee