WWE: Matt Riddle’s Sexual Assault Lawsuit Update Emerges Ahead of Money in the Bank

Matt Riddle just learned the latest on his sexual assault lawsuit. According to TMZ Sports, the woman who accused the WWE Superstar of choking her and forcing her to perform oral sex has dropped the lawsuit against him. Court documents state that Candy Cartwright, a pro wrestler whose real name is Samantha Tavel, filed for the case to be dismissed. It’s unclear if the two sides agreed on a settlement. This news comes before Riddle competes in the pay-per-view event Money in the Bank on Sunday.

The alleged incident happened in 2018. Cartwright accused Riddle of sexually assaulted her during a van ride with other pro wrestlers when others have fallen asleep. “Matt asked me to ‘hop on his d—,’” Cartwright said of the alleged incident. “When I refused (although we had previously been together I was incredibly uncomfortable in that setting) When I said no, he grabbed me by my throat, choked me and said ‘what if I just made you?’” Riddle responded to the allegations in a video that was posted on Twitter in July 2020.

“I have never in my entire life sexually assaulted a man, woman, or anybody,” Riddle said at the start of the video. “And that includes Candy Cartwright. I never sexually assaulted you. The story about that van trip and the driver being asleep and me forcing you to do stuff is a complete lie, it’s a fabricated story because you’re still mad.” Riddle did admit he had an affair with Cartwright.

“We had a relationship,” Riddle continued. “We had a fling. I started to get sad and depressed because I was lying to my wife so much to hide what I was doing. I was lying to all my friends because I didn’t want anybody to know.” When WWE first learned about the allegations in June, the company released a statement.

“We take any allegation of this nature very seriously and are looking into the matter,” the statement read. Riddle has emerged as one of the top young stars in WWE. He was called up to the main roster from NXT in June 2020 and won the United States Championship in February of this year. He lost the title to Sheamus at WrestleMania 37 in April but has a chance to win the WWE or Universal Championship as he’s competing in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match on Sunday. The winner of the match earns a shot at either major championship anytime within the next year.

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.