Matt Riviera is formerly one half of the NWA World Tag Team Champions with Rob Conway as the tag team The Iron Empire.
31 Facts About Matt Riviera
2.
Matt Riviera was born on May 18,1983, in Russellville, Arkansas.
3.
Matt Riviera began his first foray into promoting professional wrestling events at the age of 17 after meeting his mentor, wrestling trainer and promoter Bill Ash.
4.
Matt Riviera began promoting wrestling events under the name of Global Pro Wrestling.
5.
However, at age 21, Matt Riviera stuck with wrestling as he trained for six months as well as attended wrestling school for four months.
6.
Matt Riviera obtained a college degree in broadcast journalism, graduating from Harding University out of Searcy, Arkansas in 2006.
7.
Matt Riviera had his first professional wrestling match in 2001 for the Arkansas Association of Wrestling by teaming with Running Wolf to take on the team of Frank Thornton and "Big" Wes Jones.
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Matt Riviera would go on to wrestle for various promotions throughout Arkansas and expanded to many other states and promotions.
9.
Matt Riviera promoted Global Pro Wrestling, which after a name change, became Traditional Championship Wrestling.
10.
In 2005, Matt Riviera won his first professional wrestling championship while competing for Arkansas Wrestling Entertainment by winning the AWE International Heavyweight Championship.
11.
Matt Riviera won this title by winning a tournament, last defeating Frank Thornton.
12.
In 2009, Matt Riviera further solidified his status as one of Arkansas' premier athletes when he won the Pro Wrestling Arkansas Heavyweight Championship.
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Matt Riviera would go on to win the PWA Tag Team Championship the same year, with his partner Johnny Morton.
14.
TCW is the promotion where Matt Riviera has wrestled, as well as promoted.
15.
However, as TCW folded, Matt Riviera began to focus more on his in-ring career and less on promoting.
16.
Matt Riviera has wrestled in multiple National Wrestling Alliance promotions including NWA Mid South, NWA IHWE-Texas, NWA Lonestar, and NWA Universal.
17.
Matt Riviera is the current NWA Mid South Unified champion, a championship that was unified with the TCW Heavyweight title when Traditional Championship Wrestling folded in 2014.
18.
In 2015, Matt Riviera decided to team up with former WWE star as well as 2 time National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion Rob Conway.
19.
On September 16,2017, at CWA WrestleRaise III in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Matt Riviera interfered in the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title match between NWA Worlds Heavyweight champion, Tim Storm and Jerry Lawler, subduing Lawler with an ether rag, and allowing Storm to pin Lawler to retain the title.
20.
Lawler and Dundee would attack Matt Riviera before cutting Matt Riviera's prized perm in the middle of the ring.
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Matt Riviera then attacked Lawler, rolled Rich on top of Lawler and made the 3 count.
22.
Matt Riviera had picked up a victory in a match against Buff Bagwell, earlier in the evening, after Arn Anderson interfered in the match by delivering a Spinebuster to Bagwell, allowing Matt Riviera to get the pin fall.
23.
Lawler would pick up the pin fall victory after throwing a massive fireball in Matt Riviera's face, making Lawler the new Arkansas Heavyweight champion.
24.
On January 1,2021, Matt Riviera officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling.
25.
Besides professional wrestling, Matt Riviera has the passion for acting as well.
26.
Matt Riviera got his first chance to be featured in a movie in the 2009 thriller, Blood Forest.
27.
In 2010, Matt Riviera had a role in the drama, Step Away from the Stone.
28.
Matt Riviera was on the show as his net worth was 5.5 million dollars.
29.
Episode 5 of The Matt Riviera Show featured an interview with former bodybuilder, Dave Palumbo.
30.
Matt Riviera is an avid gym goer boasting a bench press of 445 lbs.
31.
Matt Riviera's coach is Warren Martin owner of Sync Fitness in Conway, AR.