Matt Riddle Pushes for Title Shot as Austin Aries Stalls

Matt Riddle is done waiting on Austin Aries to change his mind. The MLW National Openweight Champion has already turned down a title opportunity for “The Rude Dude,” but Riddle isn’t letting the issue go quietly heading into MLW FUSION this Thursday, October 29, at 8 PM ET on Tubi.

The tension between the two has an added wrinkle: both men are currently competing in the Opera Cup. Aries, who has taken to calling himself the “Phantom of the Opera Cup,” prefers to control situations on his own terms rather than mix it up with a challenger known for his blend of strikes, suplexes and submissions. Riddle, predictably, wants none of that cat-and-mouse approach — he’d rather settle things physically than listen to Aries talk his way around a fight.

On Thursday’s show, Riddle has to put his tournament momentum where his mouth is. He’s set for a quarterfinal match against CONTRA Unit’s Ikuro Kwon, a dangerous assignment in its own right. A win would keep his Opera Cup run alive while also serving as another data point for Aries, who’s reportedly scouting the competition rather than engaging directly with Riddle at this stage.

That’s really what makes this situation compelling: Aries doesn’t have to justify ducking a challenger if he can point to the Opera Cup as the more pressing business at hand. But every impressive performance Riddle turns in — including a statement win over someone like Kwon — makes it harder for the champion to wave him off as just another name in line. If Riddle keeps collecting quality wins while Aries keeps collecting excuses, the pressure on the champion to answer the challenge only builds.

For MLW, this is a smart, patient way to build toward a singles collision that fans clearly want. Riddle’s directness contrasts nicely with Aries’ cagey, veteran gamesmanship, and running both of them through the Opera Cup creates natural opportunities for their rivalry to intensify without forcing a match before it’s ready. Whether that match eventually happens inside the tournament or as a standalone title defense remains to be seen.

For now, the champion has said no once already. Whether that answer holds depends on how much longer Aries can afford to avoid the one opponent who refuses to stop asking.

MLW FUSION airs this Thursday at 8 PM ET, streaming free on Tubi, with replays available on YouTube, VEEPS, NJPW WORLD and for purchase on Amazon Prime Video.