Aleister Black's former AEW teammate issues 4-word message after his WWE comeback

Aleister Black is finally back in WWE. Upon his return to the Stamford-based company, he attacked The Miz, setting up a rivalry between the two. There is a strong possibility that they will lock horns at Backlash.

From 2021 to 2025, Black was signed to All Elite Wrestling. In the Jacksonville-based company, the Dutch pro wrestler led the House of Black faction, which, apart from him, consisted of Brody King, Buddy Matthews, and Julia Hart. After Black's AEW departure, this group changed its name to Hounds of Hell. A few hours ago, after the former All Elite Wrestling star attacked The Miz on Friday Night SmackDown, his former stablemate, Buddy Matthews, issued a four-word message on Instagram.

"Stand Tall—Stand Out!" he wrote.

Buddy Matthews was signed to WWE from 2013 to 2021. In the Stamford-based company, he was known as Buddy Murphy or sometimes, just Murphy. He is a former Cruiserweight Champion, a former RAW Tag Team Champion, and a former NXT Tag Team Champion.

---

Buddy Matthews addressed WWE return rumors

From time to time, the internet wrestling community speculates on Matthews' return to the Stamford-based company. While there is no concrete evidence that the former AEW World Trios Champion is leaving the Tony Khan-led company, these rumors continue to persist.

In a 2024 interview with Wrestle Radio Australia, The Best Kept Secret was asked if these rumors affected his current stint in All Elite Wrestling. Interestingly, the 36-year-old seemed unbothered.

"It doesn’t impact anything. It’s... anything that is on Insta, Twitter, or what’s it called? X, X? I don’t even use it. It’s just called negative to me. Like there is nothing positive on that. It’s just where people can honestly feel better about. It doesn’t do anything positive in the world," the AEW star said. [H/T: ITR Wrestling]

Buddy Matthews is married to former WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley. They tied the knot in June last year.