RVD doesn’t see Matt Riddle as a ripoff of him whatsoever, but the Whole F’n Show definitely sees the influence.
During his 1 of a Kind podcast, RVD responded to a fan who asked if Riddle was a good “RVD ripoff.” The WWE Hall of Famer pushed back on that label and made it clear he sees Riddle more as someone influenced by him, not someone trying to be him.
“A good RVD ripoff? Yeah, I I would consider him a good inspiration from RVD, you know, a lot of similarities, but definitely a lot of differences as well. So it’s like, you know, you had Superstar Billy Graham and then you got Hogan and then you got Jesse the Body and they both, you could say, ripped him off, but in different ways because they didn’t try to be exactly him, but they definitely used his inspiration to make what they were. I think definitely he’s far from a clone of RVD. Definitely he’s his own person with his own values. But also there’s an awful lot that we can meet on common ground with.”
Dominator also weighed in, saying he sees the similarities between RVD and Matt Riddle, especially when it comes to keeping a sense of legitimacy in the ring: “I like Matt Riddle a lot. Obviously there’s some similarities, but if you look at your wrestling styles, his wrestling style is a little bit different, but you guys still keep the legitimacy to it, I think.”
RVD then pointed out that his own presence helped open the door for wrestlers with martial arts backgrounds to stand out in pro wrestling. He said fans should give him credit for helping inspire that lane.
“I couldn’t be here without an RVD first. Who knows? We’ll never know. But I see how that led to, you know, I mean, I was one of the only representatives of martial arts on the cards. So, you got to give me credit for being, you know, and inspiring anyone that comes in after that with the martial arts and stuff like that, you know.”
RVD and Matt Riddle have often been compared because of their laid-back personalities, combat sports influence, and unique in-ring styles. Still, RVD made it clear that he doesn’t see Riddle as a clone. Instead, he views him as someone who took inspiration from what came before and turned it into his own identity.
In the end, RVD seems to have respect for Matt Riddle’s work while also recognizing his own impact on wrestlers who brought martial arts into the limelight. The comparison may continue among fans, but RVD clearly doesn’t think “ripoff” is the right word.
Do you think Matt Riddle was inspired by RVD, or are the comparisons overblown? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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