WWE have reportedly softened their stance on signing former UFC fighter turned wrestler Matt Riddle to a deal with the company, according to a report from Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer who notes that this is a complete change from several months ago at WrestleMania Axxess when the company had the option to, but would not even consider booking Riddle for an appearance.
While WWE have maintained an interest in 32-year-old Riddle, they have also been against hiring Riddle in the past after Riddle was fired from UFC after testing positive for marijuana in late 2012 and early 2013 which resulted in a public spat between Riddle and UFC President Dana White.
In an interesting note, which some people may look at as Riddle possibly being shown among the crowd at WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn IV, Riddle was scheduled to appear for Over The Top Wrestling in Ireland on August 18th and August 19th (which would be the timeframe of NXT Brooklyn 4 and WWE SummerSlam), but had to pull out of the appearances, with New Japan Pro Wrestling superstar Juice Robinson announced as Riddle’s replacement.