10 Wrestling Moments You Didn’t Realise Inspired People To Become Wrestlers

10. Matt Riddle - WrestleMania XXX: Daniel Bryan And Brock Lesnar Win Big

After Matt Riddle was released from the UFC in 2013, the MMA fighter with an 8-3 (2) record, he found himself questioning how he would be able to continue making decent money when he was only good at one thing: fighting.

He would continue trying to earn a living in the MMA world for a while, yet as soon as the Welterweight caught the thirtieth edition of the Showcase of the Immortals, he quickly realised what he had to do going forward.

Watching Daniel Bryan overcome the odds (and three quarters of Evolution) to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion and fellow former MMA star Brock Lesnar conquer The Undertaker's iconic streak at WrestleMania XXX made Riddle realise that times were changing in the world of pro wrestling. So, now was the time to pour his heart and soul into this business.

Speaking to Corey Graves on the After the Bell Podcast, Riddle admitted:

'When I saw that WrestleMania, I saw guys like Daniel Bryan or Brock Lesnar beating The Undertaker. It’s like, "This is a new era." This brand, this sport is going towards guys like me and this is something I’ve always wanted to do and I felt like, even with MMA and everything I always wait for my opportunity because it’s like, things are hot when they’re hot and I saw that Mania, The Network was fresh, everything and I was just like, ‘I had to do this. I had to do this.’ I had to commit myself.'

Riddle eventually signed for WWE in 2018 after three years on the indies and became an NXT sensation, before recently debuting on Friday Night SmackDown.