As you all know, I’m a huge MMA fan. I’ve known of Matt Riddle for a long time. I think if he had his head on straight, he could’ve been a really solid middleweight (LOL how the hell did he make 170?!). I was skeptical of his transition into wrestling. I thought it was something for him to do until he could work out getting back into MMA (he basically got himself blackballed from UFC and Bellator). However, when I first saw him in the Monster Factory, I knew he had a lot of raw potential. Fast forward about two years, and this guy is tearing down the house on almost every EVOLVE card.

The story of this match (well, mostly their rivalry after this match) is that Riddle and Tracy “Hot Sauce” Williams are both apart of the stable Catch Point. They represent the old school, grappling heavy style of pro wrestling with a modern flair. More crudely, you could call them “MMA Douche Bags in an Indy Promotion Because We Haven’t Seen that Before, Gabe.” I’m getting off the topic. Anyway, Hot Sauce has been very ANTagonistic ( 😉 to the Chikara fans) of Riddle and cutting him down at every turn, despite being stable mates. So, they fight. A LOT.

One thing I love about this match is that it really puts over submission holds something not to mess around with because they’re not something you mess around with. A bit of a criticism I have of the utilization of submission holds in wrestling that they are fully locked in long before someone submits or escapes.  I guess I have a hard time turning that part of my brain off because I’m a “grappling mark.”  It’s just odd to see Alberto Del Rio, a former MMA fighter and decorated grappler, have a fully locked in armbar on John Cena for a minute before Cena lifts him into the air and slams him.  I digress, as usual.   If you like mat wrestling and submissions, CLICK. THAT. LINK.