Alex Riley To Replace Matt Striker

[Jack-Hammer]

On the main page, and a few other sites, there's a story in which Matt Striker discusses the possibility of Alex Riley replacing him. Striker did an interview on The Shoot radio program earlier today and this is one of the topics discussed. In regard to Riley, Striker said:

"He's a good kid. He's a taller better looking version of Matt Striker. I believe he's a graduate from Boston College, he's well spoken, he's bright and I think it's a great opportunity for Alex Riley. To me, this is what is my saving grace, I'm gone now and then I read that it's Alex Riley that's sitting in that chair and I think about all the conversations I've had with Alex Riley. Maybe one thing I said to him he uses on the show and he's now the breath of fresh air, he's now the new guy, I don't fault anyone for that. WWE gives opportunity, they gave me an opportunity, they're giving Alex Riley an opportunity and I expect great things for Alex Riley and I'm genuinely happy for him."

While it's safe to say that Striker's absence isn't exactly a gaping hole in WWE, I think that Alex Riley could probably do the job. At age 32, Riley is still a very young man but, let's face it, a career as a wrestler in WWE doesn't seem to be in the cards for him. Riley's wrestling career has been at a standstill for a few years now while wrestlers the same age but much more experience, like Bryan & Ziggler, and significantly younger wrestler, like The Shield, have gotten major pushes. With The Wyatt Family, Kassius Ohno and a few others eventually making their way to the roster; Riley's future as a wrestler in WWE will only grow bleaker than it already is.

On a little side note, it's refreshing to hear a former employee not rip into their past employers. Nice to see some professionalism from someone rather than the usual rants that seem to be the norm among wrestlers that WWE or TNA have let go.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

John Cena kept pulling ribs on him backstage, and when he spoke up for himself, he was put in the doghouse. The kid was super over and got huge pops every time SAY IT TO MY FACE would hit the loudspeakers. But one altercation with Cena was all it took to bury him.

What a shame. The guy isn't a technical genius, but he has the charisma and the personality to be a top guy. Daniel Bryan even said so in an interview.

He could definitely do well in the announce desk, but he deserves more than that.

WWE needs more solid midcard faces. Riley should be the face of the midcard division.

 

[MWRedskins]

if he's going to be a backstage or commentator, i KNOW he will do well as he's a great mic worker, however, with that said, if he's healthy, i think he's best used as a wrestler and given a decent push.

 

[TempestH]

Just because he's a commentator doesn't necessarily mean it's the end of his career as a wrestler. Maybe he'll do commentary and wrestle, like The Miz. Maybe down the line Riley and Miz can commentate Main Event together.

I can even see an eventual scenario where some belligerent heel starts antagonizing Riley, and calls him out, probably some comedy jobber heels like the Prime Time Players or 3MB. Then Riley gets his push back by going over the guy.

 

[Pedigree1]

Wow really sad! Alex does indeed have what it takes to be a top guy. He has Charisma really good skills and great mic skills. He has the body that Vinnie Mac loves to death. But him being a commentator while it doesnt mean the end of his in-ring career this is not a good way to get back in. his career Me thinks is over he is 32 not old but guys like Ziggler,The Shield,Kassius Ohno,Cesaro,have enjoyed major pushes while A-Ri's career well has been DOA! I wish him luck on Commentary it will be interesting

 

[TempestH]

Wow really sad! Alex does indeed have what it takes to be a top guy. He has Charisma really good skills and great mic skills. He has the body that Vinnie Mac loves to death. But him being a commentator while it doesnt mean the end of his in-ring career this is not a good way to get back in. his career Me thinks is over he is 32 not old but guys like Ziggler,The Shield,Kassius Ohno,Cesaro,have enjoyed major pushes while A-Ri's career well has been DOA! I wish him luck on Commentary it will be interesting

That just means he probably won't become a main eventer/world champion. But just because he may not get the chance to be in the main event doesn't mean he's done. He could still easily thrive in the midcard or as an IC/U.S. Champion. Or he could possibly even be be a late bloomer like Mark Henry.

I don't think they're giving up on him as a wrestler. Look at Miz, he still wrestles despite being a regular commentator on Main Event. Brad Maddox does commentary on NXT despite having the storyline with Vickie, and being the occasional wrestler (even though he's just squash fodder). Triple H doesn't like bringing people up without a plan, and maybe this commentary gig is a window to begin rebuilding Riley down the line.

 

[byrnside]

I think it's a shame that Striker was released. I've read a lot of criticism on his work as a commentator, but I always liked it. His knowledge of the business was a breath of fresh air, but as he said in a recent interview, "people don't care about Ken Patera," and that sucks. Nevertheless, if the WWE needs a vanilla announcer to do the trick, Alex Riley should be fine.

 

[bioshock]

Don't forget Punk did the commentary thing for a while on Raw and look at how that turned out. But who knows, some of the best guys in the history of wrestling doing commentary were former wrestlers, Gorilla King, & Ventura to name a few. But again I go back to the Punk thing, maybe they will use this as a spot to wait for a openeing with Riley.

 

[I_Am_Electro_Boy]

Interesting. I don't really see why WWE are replacing Striker in the first place. I liked Striker and thought he was a a solid commentator. But the fact that Alex Riley is going to replace him either means that they wanted Riley to be on commentary therefore they didn't see the need to extend Striker's contract or they didn't like Striker on commentary so they let his contract run out and then they just decided to have anyone to replace him and they picked Riley. If it's the first thing then we might start seeing Riley on SD but if it's the second I don't see Riley progressing on commentary.

Either way Riley might make a pretty decent commentator. Whenever he was on the mic he seemed like he was pretty good and confident, he also had some charisma. So he should be good on commentary. Even if this means Riley won't be wrestling any more it doesn't really make much difference because he wasn't on tv anyway. So it gives Riley something to do and gets him some tv time which he deserves.

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

Kind of sucks for Riley he is gonna be the "backstage interviewer that gets clobbered" but at least it's a solid position in the WWE. I'm sure he wants more but is happy for the spot.

 

[TempestH]

Kind of sucks for Riley he is gonna be the "backstage interviewer that gets clobbered" but at least it's a solid position in the WWE. I'm sure he wants more but is happy for the spot.

He probably will be attacked by a few belligerent heels. But the difference between Matt Striker and Alex Riley is that Riley is still healthy and has a bit more size to him. Riley is bigger than half of the roster. So while he could possibly still be the guy gets assaulted, I feel that in Riley's case, it opens up possibilities for in-ring feuds and/or alliances. Like I said, Triple H won't call up anyone without a plan, so maybe this commentary gig is a way to rebuild Riley as a wrestler and give him a storyline that can help him rebuild credibility down the line.

Like I can see some random heel jobbers like 3MB or the Prime Time Players antagonizing Riley at the commentary table, only for him to kick their asses. Or I can see Riley coming to the aid of some other face and forming a team with them.

I don't get where the sentiment that his in-ring career is over is coming from. Miz is regularly doing commentary on Main Event and still has an active in ring career. Riley will probably receive similar treatment. For all we know this was a one time gig. WWE has been rotating their wrestlers as commentators for quite some time now. They were testing Ricardo on Main Event for the past few weeks, and Saturday Morning Slam had a different guy at the announce table every week. I don't see Riley stepping away from the ring unless he is actually physically unable to due to injuries.