During a recent interview with ViBe & Wrestling, Matt Riddle commented on The Undertaker’s “soft” comments, the times changing, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On his reaction to The Undertaker’s “soft” comments: “I would tell Undertaker and everybody else that times have changed. The human race and everyone is evolving, and yes, we do not carry knives and guns to work. We actually have metal detectors and things to keep us safe so people don’t do that. We have a wellness policy where we’re all being tested regularly so we’re safe and in our right state of mind. I love my job, I show up to work, and mind you, I am a former professional UFC fighter that broke people’s jaws in a steel cage – something that wasn’t around when he was a young man, and I bet if it was, he still wouldn’t have stepped up because it takes a different breed, So, that’s that. He shouldn’t say certain things, and he knows there’s an up-and-coming roster of real savages, not pretend ones. So, he should watch out.”
On the differences between Undertaker’s era and the current era in wrestling: “I still respect him, I think he was just a little overzealous. I don’t think meant any ill-will or anything mean. I just think he thought his time was tougher, and I will say this, when he worked, times were tougher. They weren’t as smart either and they were dumber. They abused certain things, they abused their bodies, and they’re all paying the price for it. Today’s wrestler – we’re smarter, we work smarter, and even if you think we’re taking more bumps, we still don’t work the same schedule you were working. You can say we are softer for that, but I would say we are just smarter and more educated just like the modern-day athlete.
“We are not getting hurt as much, we train smarter, we eat healthier, and we do things better. It’s because people in the past have made so many mistakes that we’ve learned from them, and now, we don’t make those same mistakes anymore. So, Undertaker says soft, I don’t think we’re soft, I think we’re more intelligent. That’s so we don’t get hurt and don’t put ourselves in stupid situations like bringing guns to work. So, Undertaker, nothing but respect, but at the end of the day, respect and understand evolution, regardless if it comes with man or if it comes with etiquette in the locker room and realize we have evolved. We have better etiquette in the locker room, and we don’t do certain things like that anymore. We do things right.”
(h/t – 411 Wrestling)
