Next week on Smackdown Live, Matt Riddle will be making his in-ring debut. Hype packages have shown fans what to expect from the MMA fighter turned professional wrestler. However, it’s well know that your past accomplishments don’t mean much when you come to RAW or Smackdown from NXT, so a strong debut match is as important as ever. Who will be the first man to fall to The Original Bro?
Dolph Ziggler Is The Patron Saint Of NXT Debut Feuds
Let’s get the most boring option out of the way first, that being Dolph Ziggler. Tyler Breeze came up from NXT, who did he face first? Who did Baron Corbin feud with after making his debut by winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal? What man was the first to take the Kinshasha from Shinsuke Nakamura when he came to Smackdown?
The answer to all these is Dolph Ziggler, and it just makes sense. He’s a fantastic wrestler who can make you look like an absolute killer. No one likes the guy so beating him up gets cheers. Matt Riddle could gave to pay the Ziggler Tax like most other prospective singles stars coming from NXT. Ziggler has been involved with Otis & Mandy Rose, and was involved in the six man tag that main evented this past episode of Smackdown, where he was as unremarkable as ever. It’s a safe bet, and WWE doesn’t like to always take risks.
Chad Gable & Matt Riddle Would Put On A Wrestling Clinic
While he is still known as Shorty G these days, Chad Gable is one of the best wrestlers on the mat. An olympic level amateur wrestler, he would be the perfect man to help Riddle showcase just how technically sound he is. They had a very brief clash at Survivor Series in 2019, one of the highlights of the match as they sprawled for control. You don’t need to make it a long match, but men are experts at doing a lot in a short span. Gable has also not really been doing anything at the moment either, so another loss won’t hurt his standing.
Drew Gulak Knows Riddle Well
Back in the days of Evolve, Matt Riddle & Drew Gulak would both be in the CatchPoint stable, but they’ve come to blows as well. With Gulak now being on the rise in WWE, he could help Riddle look like a star by having another incredible match with his old friend, before recruiting him to join Daniel Bryan & himself as they bring excellent wrestling back to the WWE landscape. Smackdown is dry of major factions, and a WWE version of CatchPoint could be just what it needs. This would simply be an absolute treat of a match for all to see again, and they deserve the big stage given their past performances.
These are just a few established stars that could be chosed to be the debut match of Matt Riddle next Friday. We could just as easily see him beat a talent from the performance center in mere seconds with The Final Flash knee strike, but we will have to wait and see. Who do you want to be his first opponent on Smackdown Live? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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