Matt Riviera also obtained a college degree in broadcast journalism, graduating from Harding University out of Searcy, Arkansas in 2006.
[4] Traditional Championship Wrestling was able to secure a national cable deal in 2013 with Cox Sports Television that would allow people all over the country to see Riviera and other TCW stars perform weekly.
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.
In the first fall, Conway pinned Funaki under a mask after hitting The Erotic City (Chokeslam/Belly to back suplex combo).
The Iron Empire lost the NWA World Tag Team Championship to Kazushi Miyamoto and Rob Terry in Tokyo, Japan on February 23, 2017.
On the July 14 episode of USA Championship Wrestling, Dundee would appear for an interview with the briefcase, before being confronted by Riviera.
This would lead to a televised match the next week on July 21 between Riviera and Lawler, which ended in a No Contest after interference from Dundee & “Dangerous” Doug Gilbert.
“Wildfire” Tommy Rich, wearing a referee shirt attempted to take the key from outside official, Jerry Calhoun, before being stopped by “Dangerous” Doug Gilbert.
On March 9 at USA Championship Wrestling's “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert Tribute Event in Jackson, Tennessee, a “Falls Count Anywhere in Madison County Match” took place, as Jerry Lawler and Doug Gilbert faced off against Matt Riviera & Tommy Rich.
At the Jerry Lawler 50th Anniversary Celebration at The Ballpark in Jackson, Tennessee on September 26, Jerry Lawler & The Rock N’ Roll Express (w/ Jimmy Hart) faced Matt Riviera, “Wildfire” Tommy Rich, & “Dangerous” Doug Gilbert (w/ Ron Ratcatcher) in a Thunderdome Cage Match.
[14] Also during this period, Riviera was involved in angles & matches with Buff Bagwell, Bob Holly, Tony Atlas, & Tim Storm as well as various other wrestlers on the independent wrestling circuit.
[15] On May 24, 2018, at the 30th Annual Sheriff Buford Pusser Festival in Adamsville, Tennessee, Matt Riviera won the 1st Annual Sheriff Buford Pusser Memorial Cup, presented by Bert Prentice's USA Championship Wrestling, in a battle royal by last eliminating “Superstar” Bill Dundee.
Riviera stated in a press release: “I seriously appreciate the support that I have received for the duration of my time as an active talent and promoter in pro wrestling.
[21] It was after VH1 producers saw Matt Riviera's acting in Happy Hour, as well as his in-ring career that they invited him to become a participant on a new reality show, Megan Wants a Millionaire.
Palumbo Quote- “But the good thing about wrestling is it’s not a professional sport per se, more entertainment, they are allowed to take hormone replacement.
Those are acceptable, you know, and a lot of the wrestlers do do it, y’know, it’s not for me to say who’s using what, but they’re very minimal doses.” This quote would cause the WWE to release a press statement attempting to clarify their Wellness Policy guidelines on growth hormone use: “WWE’s comprehensive Talent Wellness Policy, which is administered by an independent, third-party, clearly states hGH and hCG are among a long list of banned substances, however, due to certain medical conditions, there are a variety of therapeutic exemptions that account for approximately 7% of our contracted talent.”[26] The story was picked up by numerous websites, including Forbes.com, Deadspin.com, & BleacherReport.com[27] In May 2023, Duffield inducted fellow pro wrestler and Arkansan, Bobo Brazil into the Arkansas Walk of Fame.
[28] In 2023, Duffield presented several famous musicians with the Arkansas Traveler Award, including Larry Dodson of the Bar-Kays, thrash metal band Exodus, and R&B icon Morris Day.
[30] In November 2024, Duffield presented the Arkansas Traveler Award to iconic pro wrestler, Hulk Hogan.
[31] On February 14, 2018, Matt Riviera made his hip hop music debut, releasing the song and music video for “Best Meat’s in the Rump (Juicy)”, a collaboration with DJ Mr. Mixx of controversial rap group, 2 Live Crew, & pro wrestling manager, Boyd Bradford.
The song features shout outs to WWE women wrestlers Ronda Rousey, Nikki Bella, Alexa Bliss, and Nia Jax.
[36] In 2022, Duffield defeated Doug Skelton and David J. Howell in the Republican primary election for the 53rd district of the Arkansas House of Representatives.
As a freshman, Duffield sponsored various pieces of legislation which were signed into law,[38] including the creation of a state sales tax exemption for the Disabled American Veterans organization,[39] and an act to clarify the definition of a “Loaded Firearm” for the purpose of the state statute concerning the possession and use of a weapon.
[41] On November 5, 2024, Duffield was re-elected to a 2nd term as State Representative for House District 53, defeating his Democrat challenger, Amie Gates, in the 2024 general election, earning 73.4% of the vote.
[43] In September 2023, during a special legislative session, Duffield joined a bi-partisan majority of the Arkansas House in voting down efforts by Gov.
Sarah Sanders to rush the passing of a controversial bill to massively overhaul the state's FOIA laws through the legislative process.
A scaled down version of the FOIA bill, limited to the Governor's security detail, would later pass during the special session.
In the letter, Duffield cited environmental concerns, as well as the fact that many of the crypto mining companies operating in Arkansas had strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
In an interview with KATV, Duffield said of his call for the repeal, “I hope that the governor’s office reviews the letter that I respectfully sent to them and they will see the many negative potential consequences these facilities could have – not just in our district here in Russellville, but statewide – could be numerous.
[47] On April 18, 2024, one month after a pre-dawn ATF raid on the West Little Rock home of Clinton National Airport Executive Director Bryan Malinowski ended in Malinowski's death, Duffield, joined by more than a dozen state legislators, led a press conference at the State Capitol to demand answers from the ATF about the incident.
The following day, US Senator Tom Cotton announced that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had informed him that the agents involved in the Malinowski incident were not wearing their required body cameras during the raid.