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IMPACT Wrestling might be about to add another former WWE Superstar to their roster. Buddy Murphy was released from WWE on June 2nd this year after eight years with the company. The 32-year-old won many accolades including the Cruiserweight Championship, NXT Tag Team Championships and Raw Tag Team Championships.
IMPACT Wrestling Executive Vice President Scott D'Amore hinted at Murphy joining their roster on a recent Twitch stream with Jade Chung, which has led many to believe it will be his most likely landing spot. The promotion has signed a large number of WWE releases since April of 2020.
Now that Buddy Murphy is officially a free agent since his non-compete clause has expired, it is a good time to determine why he should make the move to IMPACT. In this article, let's take a look at the five biggest reasons why IMPACT Wrestling is the best promotion for Buddy Murphy.
#5 It's not the right time for Buddy Murphy to join a loaded AEW roster
When Buddy Murphy was released from WWE, many fans believed that AEW was the most likely destination for the former Cruiserweight Champion. However, a lot has changed for All Elite Wrestling since June. This summer has seen an increase in buzz and momentum for the promotion, with several big names arriving and even more rumored to be on the way.
CM Punk made his AEW debut on The First Dance special of Rampage on August 20th. The former WWE Champion made his long-awaited return to pro wrestling after seven years away. He is arguably the biggest signing in company history. Daniel Bryan is rumored to debut for the promotion next at this Sunday's AEW All Out 2021 pay-per-view as well.
Even Adam Cole, who has recently become a free agent, is reportedly in talks with both WWE and AEW. With so many big names and top stars rumored to debut for AEW, it makes IMPACT Wrestling more appealing for a star on the level of Buddy Murphy.
There is no denying Buddy Murphy's talents and his ability in the ring, but he needs to have a certain amount of the spotlight to really gain more success than he has achieved in WWE. AEW's roster is saturated at the top, and Buddy Murphy should be looking for a bigger position in another company.
#4 The success of other former WWE superstars in IMPACT Wrestling must be appealing to Buddy Murphy
Buddy Murphy's release from WWE came as a shock to many fans and pundits in the wrestling world. It wasn't the first or last batch of cuts made by the promotion since last year. When the pandemic was just underway, WWE made a significant amount of releases that surprised the superstars themselves as well as those in the company.
Those releases led to IMPACT Wrestling promoting their Slammiversary 2020 pay-per-view event around the world changing with the arrival of former and new talent to the company. One of the major acquisitions was Eric Young. The former IMPACT Wrestling talent saw success in NXT as Tag Team Champion with Sanity, but his main roster run just saw him in a jobber and low card role.
Young returned to IMPACT Wrestling in Slammiversary's main event and then won the IMPACT World Championship just a couple of months later. Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows of The Good Brothers were also huge signings for the promotion and have won the IMPACT World Tag Team Titles on two occasions. Buddy Murphy has to look at these men and follow in their footsteps if he joins IMPACT.
Brian Myers has gone from being on the longest losing streak in WWE history to the main event of the latest IMPACT Plus special, while Deonna Purrazzo was left on the bench in WWE NXT to a two-time IMPACT Knockouts Champion and also the AAA Reina de Reinas Champion. Buddy Murphy has the potential to be as successful as any of these former WWE Superstars.
#3 Buddy Murphy could be a "Secret No More" for the X-Division in IMPACT Wrestling
Buddy Murphy was known as "The Best Kept Secret" during his WWE main roster run. Upon joining the Cruiserweight division on 205 Live, Murphy wanted to make a name for himself. He put on barnburners against the best that 205 Live had to offer, which stood as some of the best WWE TV matches at the time.
With Buddy Murphy now a free agent, he has started to refer to himself as "Secret No More." Murphy has all the potential in the world to gain the same success that he achieved in WWE's Cruiserweight division in the X-Division for IMPACT Wrestling. The current crop of talent on the roster has brought similar vibes to the peak of the X-Division in the mid 2000's.
The current IMPACT X-Division Champion Josh Alexander has added prestige to the title and the entire division. His classic Iron Man Match against TJP was one of the best television matches in all of pro wrestling this year. It was an excellent bout that brought more eyes to the promotion. He has also had showstealers with Ace Austin, Black Taurus and Jake Something as of late.
Besides Alexander, Chris Bey, Rohit Raju and Steve Maclin have found a home in the X-Division and made the most of any opportunity given to them. Adding Buddy Murphy to this current crop of spectacular performers will just further elevate this division and put it on par with the main event scene as it was during the AJ Styles/Samoa Joe era. This is exactly the talent that IMPACT needs right now.
#2 Buddy Murphy can walk through "The Forbidden Door"
Buddy Murphy's arrival at IMPACT Wrestling doesn't close him off from exploring the rest of what the wrestling world has to offer. Over the past few months, IMPACT has established firm relationships with other promotions. The current IMPACT World Champion is Christian Cage, who is a member of the AEW roster. Cage defeated AEW World Champion Kenny Omega to win that title.
IMPACT Wrestling has mended fences with New Japan Pro Wrestling recently. They have helped solve a lot of unrest between the two companies from the mistreatment of stars like Kazuchika Okada early on in his career. In 2021, NJPW stars Juice Robinson and David Finlay have won the IMPACT Tag Team Championships while Satoshi Kojima has made appearances.
On recent editions of NJPW Strong, there have been appearances from X-Division Champion Josh Alexander and IMPACT Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers. Buddy Murphy has expressed a desire to go to NJPW and his signing with IMPACT would facilitate him wrestling in Japan.
Buddy Murphy's hard-hitting style would mesh well with the stars of NJPW. He could have incredible matches with Kota Ibushi, Tomohiro Ishii and Shingo Takagi. Whether that takes place on NJPW Strong or in Japan, his association with IMPACT Wrestling could see Murphy walk through the Forbidden Door there or even in AEW. The possibilities are endless.
#1 Buddy Murphy's opportunity to be a top star in IMPACT Wrestling
Buddy Murphy was able to get to the top of the Cruiserweight division on the main roster despite not finding singles success in NXT. After an excellent feud with Mustafa Ali, Murphy defeated Cedric Alexander to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship at WWE Super Showdown 2019 and held it for six months before losing it to Tony Nese at WrestleMania 35.
Upon joining the SmackDown roster, Buddy Murphy didn't find many chances to stand out. Despite that, he had showstealing bouts against Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan that gave him a spotlight. Murphy then transitioned over to the Raw brand and was quickly put into a tremendous series of matches against Aleister Black.
After losing the series against Black, Buddy Murphy joined Seth Rollins under his Messiah persona. The two men made a fun unit and defeated The Viking Raiders to win the Raw Tag Team Championships. They would eventually lose the gold to the Street Profits, but Murphy's association with Rollins kept him near the top of the card on Raw.
Besides his run on 205 Live, Buddy Murphy wasn't allowed to flourish as a singles competitor. The partnership with Seth Rollins showed the potential to eventually branch out for him to achieve success on his own, but it didn't pan out that way. The two men split up amid Seth's feud with the Mysterio Family. However, Murphy just found himself in a love storyline with Aliyah Mysterio.
Buddy Murphy signing with IMPACT Wrestling could see him sky rocket up the ranks to become the main event player. Despite former IMPACT World Champions like Rich Swann, Sami Callihan and Eric Young being on the roster, the promotion has relied on AEW stars to be at the top for the majority of 2021.
Josh Alexander, Ace Austin and Chris Bey are all potential top stars, but adding Buddy Murphy could solidify the future of the main event scene for IMPACT Wrestling. More than his entire run in WWE or heading to AEW, IMPACT Wrestling gives Murphy plenty of opportunity to rise through the ranks and be the top guy in the entire company.
There are classics to be had against the likes of Christian Cage, Moose and Eddie Edwards in the main event. Whether it be compelling feuds or the chance to get a shot at the IMPACT World Championship, the sky is the limit for Murphy in this company. That's why the opportunity to be the top star is the biggest reason why IMPACT Wrestling is the best promotion for Buddy Murphy.
