Overview

• Global Wrestling Kingdom said Thursday that Matt Riddle has repaid his deposit and gave his word to reimburse expenses after he did not appear at the August 31 Barnsley event.
• GWK’s statement disputes Riddle’s account, saying flights were booked and approved in April with meals included, a driver waited for hours, and the event’s charity status was announced in July.
• Riddle previously denied wrongdoing in videos and on TMZ’s Inside The Ring, arguing he planned a later flight due to lack of additional bookings, disputing the charity framing, and saying he received death threats.
• The promotion said it received no reply from Riddle until Friday evening, then learned he had taken other bookings, leading to meet-and-greet refunds and Grado replacing him against Simon Miller.
• Coverage notes Riddle was backstage at Eric Bischoff’s Real American Freestyle show in Ohio on Saturday and wrestled in Boca Raton on Sunday while GWK sources say he never traveled to the United Kingdom.