Riddle Responds to The Undertaker Calling WWE Stars Soft: 'We Are Real Savages'

Riddle doesn't agree with The Undertaker's assessment that WWE or its current crop of Superstars are "soft" compared to those of years past.

Last month, The Undertaker appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast (h/t Phillip Hendrix of Ringside News) and made a somewhat controversial comment regarding WWE, saying: "It's kind of tough for me because the product changed so much and it's kind of ... soft."

During an interview with ViBe & Wrestling (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Liam Crowley) this week, Riddle took issue with The Deadman's opinion:

"I would say to The Undertaker and everybody else, times have changed, the human race and everyone is evolving. And yes, we don't carry knives and guns to work because we have metal detectors to keep us safe, so people don't do that. We have a wellness policy where we are all getting tested regularly so we are safe and in our right state of mind.

"I love my job. I am a former professional UFC fighter that broke people's jaws on a steel cage. [That's] something that wasn't around when he was a young man, and I bet if it was he still wouldn't step up because it takes a different breed. He shouldn't say certain things about the upcoming roster because we are real savages, not pretend ones. He should watch out."

The 55-year-old Undertaker announced his retirement last year after three decades of excellence in WWE, and he is widely considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.

Before signing with WWE, Taker cut his teeth in the pro wrestling business in the 1980s, and there is no question that things were much different then compared to now. Rather than meaning to disrespect the wrestlers of today, The Phenom may have simply been expressing his nostalgia and preference for the way things used to be.

Riddle didn't necessarily seem to take Taker's comments too personally, as he made it clear that he still respects the WWE legend:

"But I still respect him, I think [he] just a little over-sold us, and I don't think he wanted to be mean. I just think he thought his time was tougher and I would say this: when he worked times weren't tougher. They weren't smart either. They were dumber. They abused certain things, they abused their bodies and they are all paying the price for it.

"Today's wrestlers are smarter, who work smarter. If they think they took more bumps, we don't work the same schedule you were working and you can't say we are softer for that. We're more smarter and educated like the modern day athlete and we are not getting hurt that much."

As a former UFC star, Riddle's toughness can't be questioned, nor can the toughness of anyone willing to put their body and overall health on the line as a pro wrestler.

Wrestling may changed from what it was when The Undertaker was in his prime. There are a litany of stories of former wrestlers abusing drugs and alcohol during their careers and having health troubles later in life.

But it stands to reason that current wrestlers could have even more longevity and success thanks to their healthier lifestyles.

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