"Once it's mine, the title belt will NEVER be defended again!"

WATERLOO, Iowa - June 17, 2024 - PRLog -- Professional wrestling's original "Mr. Wonderful," 4-time Hall of Famer Rock Riddle, signed to take on Jerry "The King" Lawler in a Legend vs. Legend Match. Lawler, unfortunately, was not medically cleared, so wrestling promoter Troy Peterson named Impact Pro Wrestling Champion James Jeffries as Riddle's new opponent.

We caught up with Rock Riddle this morning at Jesse Hernandez' famous "School of Hard Knocks" in Southern California.  When he noticed our crew, Riddle slid out of the ring, fussed with his hair, and looked toward our #1 camera. "Always know where the cameras are," he said to the students. "Cameras and microphones love me."

Riddle was the same cocky, condescending, arrogant wrestler that countless fans 'loved to hate' over his decades-long career.

"Mr. Riddle, you're a wrestling veteran who has faced virtually every major legend. Are you here training for your match and are you concerned about injury?" we asked.

"No and no," Riddle responded. "I don't need to train to beat Jeffries and injury may be a concern, only not to me. As far as . . ."

Riddle stopped abruptly and directed his attention to the wrestlers in the ring. "No," he bellowed. "This is not a gymnastics class; this is professional wrestling. Snatch him, take him down, force him to wrestle!"

Riddle glared back at us. "Next question," he quipped.

"What can we expect for your July 20^th match?" We asked.

Riddle appeared to be in deep thought. "If I'm feeling particularly magnanimous, I may offer young Mr. Jeffries the opportunity to concede defeat, have his picture taken raising my hand in victory, and walk away unscathed."

"What's your outcome, Mr. Riddle, if you do wrestle Mr. Jeffries and . . .?"

Riddle interrupted our question with his rapid-fire response: "I will give him a serious wrestling lesson. I'll embarrass and humiliate him in front of all his little fans. I'll defeat him, take his Championship Belt, and never defend it again!"

"If you should win the belt, would you display it in your famous 2800 square foot trophy room?" we asked.

"3200 square feet," Riddle corrected, "and no, I'll probably just melt it down."

The Riddle/Jeffries match will take place on July 20, 2024, at the Waterloo Convention Center, one of many highlights at the annual George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies and corresponding Dan Gable Museum events.