He Was Better Than Bryan Danielson... And Now He's Long Forgotten

by Michael Sidgwick
Alex Riley cage
Twitter, @KileyJrWWE

Then, a paradigm shifted happened.

By the time Riley resurfaced in WWE, following a seemingly endless losing streak, fans no longer had to bargain. "Vince would like that guy, so he's probably worth investing in" was an actual thought process back then, but by 2015, things - to an extent - had changed. Someone like Kevin Owens had more than half a chance to make it, and it was Owens who destroyed Riley in an annihilation of a Twitter feud. Riley made a fool of himself. Significantly worse than the experienced indie workers that WWE had let through the door at long last, Riley didn't even have trash talk going for him upon his NXT repackage.

He experimented with a new 'Rage' gimmick online, and oh boy. It was, in a word, pathetic. The idea was that he was angry about being held down. It was a 15 year-old's vision of a CAW in 2001: brutally cringe-worthy and uninspired.

If you believe Alex Riley, John Cena happened. As is always the case, the story changes depending on who tells it. John Cena has never discussed it. Arn Anderson has stated on an episode of his podcast that Riley apparently shrugged at advice that Cena had offered. That was, if true, very stupid. Cena in 2010 and 2011 was the most powerful man in the company not named Vince McMahon.

Riley claims that Cena had a personal vendetta against him, stemming from some vague backstage dispute, and while this GIF supports his argument, it's hardly conclusive.

Riley attempted to make a comeback last year. His NWA run did not go well. He wasn't better than Bryan Danielson, but in 2010, he felt like the next big thing.

Still, if there's such a thing as a good charlatan, Alex Riley, with his letterman jacket, was best in class.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!