7 White-Hot Wrestlers That BURNED OUT Overnight

Pro wrestling is an industry built on a superstar creating momentum for themselves, maintaining that hype train's speed, and riding it all the way to the top of the card and into the hearts of fans around the world. There are superstars that have managed to put in years of hard work and dedication to reach this point, only to somehow manage to nuke their careers in one fell swoop.

There are a whole host of ways superstars find a way to do this. More often than not, there is an incident that plays out in front of the world or in wrestling's 24/7 news cycle that causes fans to meltdown. This is usually followed up by the wrestler's employers terminating that wrestler's contract and putting them out to pasture, or hoping the incident blows over and they can carry on (depending on how head office feels about them).

For whatever reason, this is a list of superstars who managed to take genuine heat and their whole bright future, and flush it headfirst into the toilet in one fell swoop. 

On the surface of things, Matt Riddle had most of the qualities someone needs to succeed at the top of wrestling's food chain. He's athletic, he has a recognisable signature look, and his laidback, stoner personality and brand of humor were infectious. He formed believable and fun bonds with the likes of Randy Orton, and could draw real emotion out of WWE's global audience.

The problem seems to be that Matt Riddle, the man, is a world-class chode. As fans, we like our superstars to give compelling interviews away from the ring and have something of substance to say. Riddle always felt like a company's worst nightmare anytime anyone put a microphone in front of him. He'd say dumb things that soured fans' love for him, and unnecessarily criticise his coworkers.

For example, Riddle would constantly take jabs at Goldberg. It's not even that he was wrong about Goldberg being light on in-ring ability; it's more that it's dickish to say it when he works with you. On that motif, Riddle would also spend time poking Brock Lesnar when he was one of the company's top draws. 

It speaks volumes that Riddle's reputation with fans is so low that nobody is lobbying for his return to WWE. AEW Sickos have never clamoured for Tony Khan to secure his signature. Considering Riddle's ability and charisma, that's a damning indictment of where he is in 2026.