Report: Why WWE Changed Matt Riddle's In-Ring Name Revealed

Matt Riddle followed in the footsteps of Andrade, Big E and Cesaro yesterday and had his in-ring name shortened by WWE. The King Of Bros ultimately lost his forename and will now just be known as Riddle. PWInsider's Mike Johnson first reported the news and The Original Bro's profile on WWE.com was changed soon after.

Many were confused about why the company decided to shorten the former NXT Tag Team Champion's name. Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE made the change as they wanted to avoid having people read up on Candy Cartwright's lawsuit against Riddle and the company when they google "Matt Riddle."

Cartwright (Samantha Tavel) filed a $40 million lawsuit against Matt Riddle, WWE, EVOLVE and Gabe Sapolsky earlier this month. The suit alleges that Riddle sexually assaulted Tavel on multiple occasions from April 2017 until January 2020. WWE has been named in the lawsuit on the basis that the misogynistic culture in the company encouraged Riddle's behaviour and created an environment that accepted sexual assault.

Fightful Select also noted that Vince McMahon opted to change Riddle's name following the Superstar's match with Sheamus on Monday Night Raw. The boss was reportedly "fired up" about the match and later decided to take away The King Of Bros' forename and pitched giving him a more serious character. Riddle was supportive of the idea.