Every WWE Release Of 2021 - Where Are They Now? (Five Years Later)
60. Buddy Murphy
Then: Rhea Ripley's main squeeze (a lighthearted understatement riffing on Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon for some retro goodness; the couple are happily married) Buddy Matthews was Buddy Murphy during his WWE days. He wrestled his final match for the company during an Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the 9 April 2021 SmackDown, then got punted from the roster in June.
Like many on this list, that caused a stir. Buddy was on/off pushed as part of the blue brand before being linked with Seth Rollins onscreen, so it took most aback that he was on the outs.
Now: The 23 February 2022 episode of AEW Dynamite saw Matthews debut as part of Malakai Black's faction House Of Black. That got a big pop from the All Elite faithful, and everyone applauded Tony Khan for bringing in such a promising mid-to-upper carder who'd surely do his best work in a promotion centred around workrate.
Hmm, the jury has been out on that one ever since. Sure, Buddy has had some banner moments here or there (his debut for starters), but singling out top matches is a chore when...everyone's having top matches. In other words, he's never really stood out as somebody who's going to crack the main event ceiling on his own.
He's currently on the shelf nursing an injured ankle, but you've got to give Matthews one thing: He's been in the physical shape of his life since joining AEW. The man's put together, shall we say!
There's been no inkling of an All Elite departure or WWE reprise.