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The House of Black introduced Buddy Matthews as their latest member on AEW Dynamite. The former WWE star made a surprise debut following the clash between The Kings of the Black Throne and Death Triangle's Penta and PAC.
Brody King & Malakai Black might've lost the match, but the duo continued their assault on the winners. Suddenly, the light in the arena went dark, and out of the darkness appeared the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion. While Matthews teased coming to the aid of the Death Triangle pair, he'd soon reveal his true allegiance when he attacked the fallen victors, cementing his loyalty to The House of Black.
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AEW President Tony Khan took to Twitter to confirm that Buddy Matthews is the company's latest big signing. Now that Matthews is #AllElite, here are five ways AEW can book Buddy Matthews after his surprise debut on Dynamite.
#5. The third member of the AEW stable House of Black
Before his Dynamite debut, wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer spoke on Wrestling Observer Radio that he heard talk of Matthews as the "third guy" in The House of Black. This has now been officially confirmed. King & Black teased a new member to their group in a pretaped segment on last week's episode.
Released by WWE in June 2021, Matthews has technically been a free agent since his 90-day non-compete clause expired that September. Now that he has finally signed with AEW, The House of Black appears primed to dominate the tag team division.
#4. He could eventually turn on former rival Malakai Black in AEW
A few months back, Malakai Black spoke about the possibility of Buddy Matthews joining House Black in AEW. In an interview with TalkSport, the Black said Matthews could be a better opponent for the stable than a member:
“There’s always thoughts, ideas and plans that I have. I think for the majority of my career now, that is still to come, I think Buddy and me are going to be intertwined no matter what. Whether that’s on television, independents; I can never escape him fully because what we did there [WWE] had an impact on the status quo."
“For House of Black, there’s always things I’m thinking about. But I don’t know if Buddy would be a guy that would be in it as opposed to a guy who would be against it. I don’t know how he feels about the House of Black thing, I don’t know. But again, I think we’re better rivals than allies but who knows what the future holds."
While it seems like Buddy Matthews has officially aligned with Black and joined his faction, could this be a red herring? Perhaps Matthews is just biding his time before turning on his one-time rival. What's for sure is that the ensuing matches will be must-see television.
#3. Buddy Matthews could challenge Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship
Buddy Matthews achieved moderate success in WWE, winning the Cruiserweight Championship as well as the RAW Tag Team Championship with Seth Rollins. But Buddy never achieved his true potential within WWE. He should've at least been a mid-card champion.
Now that he's in AEW, Buddy could finally break out into a true singles star by challenging for one of the top titles, the TNT Championship. Current champion Sammy Guevara is one of the most popular stars in AEW. It'd be a great way to introduce Matthews to the wider AEW audience. Their matches are guaranteed to be spectacular when you factor in the athleticism they both possess.
#2. Buddy Matthews could have a rematch with Bryan Danielson in AEW
Fun fact: the former Buddy Murphy held a pinfall victory over Bryan Danielson when they both wrestled on WWE SmackDown back in 2019.
It was an upset victory as Danielson was a huge star in WWE. Since then, Danielson has elevated his aura to another level in AEW, cementing his status as the best technical wrestler in the world.
It's the right time to run this match back in a new promotion and setting. With fewer restrictions, this could be a show-stealer on any given night. With Danielson making it clear he wants to mentor younger stars in the company, Matthews would make the perfect protege.
#1. Buddy Matthews wrestles Kenny Omega in a dream match
Buddy Matthews sat down for an interview with the Wrestling Republic last year shortly after his WWE release and opened up about a range of topics, including dream matches and his future goals in wrestling.
When asked about who he wants to wrestle now that he's a free agent, Murphy called out Malakai Black and former AEW Champion Kenny Omega:
“Who do I want to get after, like a dream, umm I will say two alright, I will say Kenny Omega and I will say Malakia Black because there is unfinished business. I feel like him and I will be going back and forth for a while.”
Buddy Matthews vs. Kenny Omega is something we've never seen before as they haven't set foot in the same promotion before. Regardless, they share similar wrestling styles, emphasizing strikes and top-level athleticism. With Omega being the bigger star, this could be a great way to put over Matthews.
