WWE’s Matt Riddle Accuses Cop of Sexually Assaulting Him at Airport

WWE Superstar Matt Riddle says a police officer sexually assaulted him during a confrontation at New York’s JFK Airport. According to TMZ Sports, the Port Authority Police Department is investigating Riddle’s claim, and Riddle went to Instagram to share a photo (now deleted) of the officer who allegedly assaulted him. 

In the deleted post, Riddle wrote, “Normally, I’m like whatever but today was really weird and uncomfortable and they made a point to make me feel small and useless. Definitely, one of the most uncomfortable travel days I’ve ever had. Thanks NYC, you’re so progressive and accepting.”

In a follow-up post, Riddle wrote that he’s “Finally leaving JFK and I never wanna come back here again.” TMZ Sports says Port Authority officers got a call for a disorderly person who was deplaning, and they met him at the terminal. Riddle turned out to be that person, and officers spoke to Riddle, who seemed to be apologetic. There was no police report filed and everyone was free to go. Port Authority officers were reportedly surprised by Riddle’s claim but are still taking the allegations seriously. According to the Wrestling Observer, WWE has launched its own investigation into the incident. Ringside News was the first to report the confrontation. 

Riddle was returning to the United States following WWE’s Superstar Spectacle event in India. He didn’t compete in a match but celebrated with Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn after their match against Jinder Mahal, Veer and Sanga. Riddle has been recently teaming up with McIntyre while on WWE Raw. He returned to WWE television in April after being off for four months due to a reported suspension. Riddle has been with WWE since 2018 after spending time on the independent circuit and competing in mixed martial arts. In his WWE career, Riddle has won the NXT Tag Team Championship, the United States Championship and the Raw Tag Team Championship with Randy Orton twice. 

Riddle has dealt with his share of personal issues while in WWE. While appearing on After the Bell in October of last year, Riddle said (per Wrestling Inc.), “My personal life is in shambles. I’m not gonna cry on the show … My personal life is pretty brutal. It’s been a rough year for me, you know, it was rough couple years, dude.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.