Matt Riddle’s WWE career was marked by personal challenges and controversies, ultimately leading to his unexpected release in 2023. Despite this, Riddle remains active in the ring and recently shared why he doesn’t wear wrestling boots.
Known as one of the few wrestlers who performs barefoot, Riddle prefers the freedom of competing without boots, though he enters the ring in flip flops, which he quickly discards before a match.
In an interview on Barstool Rasslin’, Riddle explained his decision to forgo wrestling boots and pads. Initially, he wore wrestling boots but found that they altered the way he absorbed impacts, often causing him to land on his knees, elbows, or heels. Without padding, he has to be more cautious during falls and feels that his moves look more authentic since there’s no padding to soften his kicks and knees.
“I started off wearing wrestling shoes, but I noticed that when I wore them, I wouldn’t take hits the same way. That’s also why I don’t wear knee pads or elbow pads. With the padding, I would take bumps and falls differently — I’d land on my knees or elbows, or my heels would hit the mat. But when I take all the padding off, I can’t make any mistakes when I’m taking slams, falls, or executing moves.
Also, when I kick or knee people, it adds a bit more believability because there’s no cushion for the pushing.”
Riddle also revealed a unique reason for going barefoot: he has no sensation in his toes due to frostbite he suffered as a child during a winter trip to Wisconsin. Wearing only Vans sneakers, he played outside in the snow all day and ended up with frostbite, leaving the surface skin of his toes permanently numb. While he can still feel significant injuries like broken bones, surface sensations, such as kicks or slaps, go unnoticed.
This numbness has rendered foot stomps ineffective against him, both in UFC and wrestling — unless delivered with intense force, he feels nothing. However, Riddle clarified that for wrestling, if a storyline requires a reaction, he’s prepared to “sell” the move for the sake of the show.
“Funny story — the toes have no feeling. Yeah, my toes have no feeling. I got frostbite on them when I was a kid visiting Wisconsin in the winter; I was wearing, like, Vans sneakers in the snow, played outside all day, and then ended up with frostbite on my toes; I lost feeling in them after that.
So, like, the skin on the surface — I won’t feel anything. If I break my foot, I’ll feel that, but when I kick, slap, or whatever, I don’t feel anything. Yeah, unless you really stomp hard.
Even in the UFC, people would stomp on my feet all the time, and nothing. So, yeah, I got numb feet. But if we’re in a match, and that’s the story, I’ll sell it.”
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