Riddle him this. As big of a wrestling company as WWE is, NXT might be more popular, at least among some fans. The stars of the show are likely to be stars in the WWE one day, which brings some mainstream publicity with it. That includes some appearances with some more mainstream sports, which was the case with one of NXT’s rising stars on Sunday.

NXT star Matt Riddle threw out the first pitch at the Tampa Bay Rays vs. Miami Marlins game on Sunday afternoon. The ceremonial first pitch did not seem to go well and the Rays’ mascot made fun of Riddle for it. In response, Riddle gave the mascot a running crossbody and counted a pin on him. Later, the mascot, Raymond, came out wearing boxing gloves to challenge Riddle to a rematch.

A tale of two fights. Check out the pitch, the crossbody, and the challenge:

Opinion: This is the kind of thing that is goofy fun and there’s nothing wrong with that. Riddle gets to go out there and show some of his natural charisma, which is one of his strong points. The mascot is out there to let the fans have a good time and that’s exactly what happened here. Everyone wins, except maybe the mascot who got beaten up and then pinned.

What will Riddle do next in NXT? Will he ever be NXT Champion? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 28 wrestling books. His latest book is the History Of In Your House.

Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for “GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES” to sign up. We are proud to offer our popular Wrestling Rumors app and encourage you to download it for an optimized user experience. It is available for Android and also on iOS. Thank you for reading!

MORE IN WRESTLING

  • REVIEW: Summerslam 2016: Brock Lesnar Doesn’t Like Rules

    Features
  • (WATCH): That’s A Rare One. There Is Going To Be A Musical Based On A Former WWE Champion.

    News
  • It’s Not Something Everyone Can Do. Wrestling Personalities To Appear On Celebrity Family Feud.

    News
  • Hey Down There. WWE Star Officially Moved To NXT Roster.

    News
  • They Did It Again. AEW Has Some Positive News About Their TNT Debut.

    News
  • (FUNNY VIDEO): It’s On Her Mind. Ronda Rousey Releases Trailer For Wrestling Horror Movie, Paige And D-Von Co-Star.

    Humor
  • That’s Just Bad. Injury Update On NXT Talent, Out For A Long Time.

    News
  • 205 Live Results – July 30, 2019

    News
  • RUMOR: He’s Getting Somewhere. An NXT Talent Has Been Turning Heads At The Performance Center.

    News
  • Major League Wrestling Fusion Results – July 27, 2019

    News