– NXT Superstar and former MMA stalwart Matt Riddle got to throw the first pitch for the Tampa Bay Rays vs. Miami Marlins baseball game this weekend. He was no doubt excited after this, and went on to have an altercation the Rays mascot, Raymond. Raymond appears to be among the ‘ambiguous monster’ echelon of mascots, a very furry creature. He’s also seemingly an accomplished athlete in his own field, judging by the championship title belt that he was boasting on the day.
Matt Riddle, always one with a keen eye for gold, set his sights on that very title. Immediately after his plate appearance, he turned and charged Raymond before hitting him with a crossbody. The surprised beast seemed to have little idea as to what to do here, and swiftly ate the pinfall. Matt Riddle proceeded to take hold of the title, claiming it for his own.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the title read ‘Rays Mascot Champion’. This would imply that Raymond himself rose to his position through some sort of trial by combat scenario. That being the case, he maybe should’ve been more prepared for this in all fairness. But that begs the question… has Matt Riddle taken up the mantle? Is he now the official mascot of the Tampa Bay Rays?
For whatever reason I presume an official passing of the torch would entail a ritualistic sacrifice. Perhaps he cannot truly call himself the mascot champion whilst the previous owner still has their head. Judging by the sports world’s response on twitter, they don’t seem to consider this win to be on the up-and-up. It should be noted that there was no bell, or an actual referee for that matter, as Riddle counted his own pinfall. A controversial result to be sure.
You can see their tweets on the matter below:
We wanna @RaysRaymond x @SuperKingofBros rematch! Get 'em, Raymond! 👊😤👊#RaysUp #MLB pic.twitter.com/4JpF8YXaoz
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) August 4, 2019
In defense of our guy @RaysRaymond, there should've at least been a bell!
🔔🤼#RaysUp #MLB pic.twitter.com/eERu962WBC— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) August 4, 2019
I need a Round 2 with @SuperKingofBros… 🤜🤛 https://t.co/gsqM3sEH8C pic.twitter.com/dMcRKeirBt
— Raymond (@RaysRaymond) August 4, 2019
Since we’ve covered a baseball story, why not cover football too? Well, sorta…
– Per a tweet from Maria Kanellis’ husband, it would seem that the reigning 24/7 Champion believes herself to be a better champion than Tom Brady. Her reasoning is quite simple: Brady never won a title whilst pregnant. And to be fair, there’s really no arguing this. It’s simply something he’ll never be able to boast.
You can see the tweet in question below and make your own conclusions:
https://twitter.com/RealMikeBennett/status/1157411336676093952
I think she has a pretty legit claim to this honor here, myself. Even though her title win came via forcing her beleaguered beau to lay down for her, one could definitely argue that this was a more fairly earned victory than any of the Patriots’ Super Bowl wins. It took a lot of effort to lower Mike into the man he is today, after all, and that work ethic is something to be commended if nothing else.
Even as far as cheating goes, if her husband is anything to go by, Maria may even have more aptitude when it comes to deflating balls! …Yes, I know, that was way too obvious, but could you have passed it up, honestly?
