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The Best Kept Secret has finally been revealed to the world.
Over the last two weeks on SmackDown Live, Buddy Murphy has wowed the WWE Universe with the superior quality of his in-ring work, something which he was doing on a weekly basis during his time on 205 Live.
To celebrate his recent success, let us look back on some of Buddy Murphy's greatest performances inside a WWE ring against ten different opponents. If his momentum streak continues the way it is at the moment, we may have to make another top ten just a few months down the line.
#10. Vs. Kota Ibushi, NXT July 27th, 2016
Watching it back, it's quite surreal seeing Kota Ibushi, the most recent winner of the G1 Climax tournament, inside an NXT ring, but there was a brief period where the NJPW star was competing sporadically on NXT following the Cruiserweight Classic, and his first match came against Buddy Murphy.
At the time, Murphy was still teaming with Wesley Blake. By the summer of 2016, it had been a year since the duo had lost their NXT Tag Team Championships or had any relevance on the show, with no signs of a main roster call up. In a rare singles match, Murphy got a chance to show his potential against one of the best in the world.
It may only be five minutes long, but this is a fascinating insight into the potential Murphy showed prior to his rise to stardom. It's only five minutes long, but you can see the seeds for something special had definitely been planted. It would take another year and a half before Murphy would jump to 205 Live, yet it was this match that opened many peoples' eyes to the singles potential of the future Cruiserweight Champion.
#9 Vs. Akira Tozawa - Elimination Chamber, February 17th, 2019
For a thirteen-minute match on a pay-per-view kickoff show, you can't ask for much more than this from earlier in 2019. With the opportunity they were given, Akira Tozawa and Buddy Murphy made the most of it with a great match-up that had many questioning why they weren't included in the main card of Elimination Chamber.
Since the Cruiserweight Classic, Akira Tozawa has always been a believable contender for the Cruiserweight Championship, after all, he did defeat Neville for the belt during his career-changing reign. So when this established 205 Live mainstay went up against the overpowering Murphy and encountered one of the biggest challenges of his WWE career thus far, it made Murphy look all the more unstoppable during his reign as Cruiserweight Champion.
A highlight of the bout came early on when Murphy caught Tozawa out of mid-air from a suicide dive, displaying Murphy's mix of strength and precision skill perfectly. The bout culminated with a flawlessly timed bicycle knee strike from Murphy, a superbly timed counter from Tozawa that had everyone lean forward in anticipation, followed by an impactful Murphy's Law transitioned from an Octopus Stretch.
#8 Vs. Kalisto Vs. Akira Tozawa Vs. Hideo Itami - Royal Rumble, January 27th, 2019
This kickoff show match was powerhouse Buddy Murphy at his strongest. Murphy shone in this fatal four-way bout as he threw his cruiserweight opponents all over and surrounding the ring inside Chase Field.
In order to keep his hands on his prized Cruiserweight Championship, Murphy had to overcome the chastising chops and kicks from the expert striker Hideo Itami, the speed and Lucha techniques of Kalisto, as well as Akira Tozawa's willingness to use his entire body as a weapon.
Not a single movement was wasted throughout this match. Unlike a lot of fatal four ways, the action was very fluid, flowing from spot to spot and giving each man an opportunity to shine. It was definitely a spot fest in the best possible sense of the term. Despite so much ridiculous, painful action, the highlight reel of risky spots didn't feel like too much.
Over the course of the match, it was clear these four competitors won over a rather skeptical crowd through their willingness to punish their own bodies. As far as kickoff show matches go, it doesn't get much better than this.
#7 Vs. Daniel Bryan - SmackDown Live, August 20th, 2019
Following on from a highly impressive showing in his first-ever SmackDown match the week before (which apparently was never even supposed to happen in the first place), the ever cocky Buddy Murphy openly challenged former WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan, to a match over Twitter after the eco-warrior repeatedly accused Murphy of being a liar in the attack on Roman Reigns storyline.
Much like we saw in his bout against Roman the week prior, Murphy comfortably went toe-to-toe with one of the company's biggest stars, looking like a true main-eventer in the process. The bout against the smaller Bryan was helped by the contrast of Murphy's prior bout against the larger Roman, helping to display how Murphy's style works well against all weight classes.
After a thrilling fight filled with submissions, kicks, and strikes, Murphy pulled off what seemed unthinkable just a few weeks prior by defeating Daniel Bryan clean in the middle of the ring in his second main roster match, proving that anything can happen in WWE. Without question, this will be one of the moments they play in Murphy's career highlight reel later down the line.
#6 Vs. Tony Nese - 205 Live, April 9th, 2019
On April 7th, 2019, Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese faced off for the Cruiserweight Championship inside a half-full MetLife Stadium during the WrestleMania Kickoff Show as fans still filtered their way in.
Given how empty the stadium was at that point, the two cruiserweights did a solid job of putting on a great showing and exciting all that were actually sat in their seats at that point. Thankfully, two nights later Nese and Murphy got a chance to compete against each other once again, this time with the time and feel of an epic 205 Live main event.
It's a shame the crowd by this point had endured a gigantic weekend of wrestling, and many had gone home following the closing of SmackDown. If this had been in front of a larger, more active audience, it would be considered a classic.
The two former partners oozed chemistry as they battled in a physical, exciting brawl. Nese gave Murphy an impactful send-off to the brand he had been killing it on consistently for over a year, and it was clear the Best Kept Secret was leaving his division in capable hands.
#5 Vs. Kalisto - 205 Live, August 28th, 2018
Easily one of the best singles matches of Kalisto's career came thanks to Buddy Murphy. On two occasions back in 2018, Murphy and Kalisto battled in superb showings, with the second match being ever so slightly superior (but both are definitely worth your time).
Each man played their role perfectly, with Kalisto utilizing his speed and smaller size to attempt to overcome Murphy's superior stature and strength. The match was filled with really painful, daring spots, including a punishing dive from the edge of the ring to the announce table. Murphy absolutely brutalized Kalisto at times with his knee strikes and throws, looking like a dominating star in the process.
These bouts with Murphy served as much needed reminders for fans of how good Kalisto can be, looking better than he ever had since arriving in WWE, while also portraying Murphy as the dangerous dominating force looming over the rest of the 205 Live roster. Both men came out of their rivalry looking all the better for having destroyed each other inside the ring. Hopefully Murphy's move over to SmackDown won't mean the last these two will see of each other.
#4 Vs. Roman Reigns - SmackDown Live, August 13th, 2019
During April's Superstar Shakeup, it was announced that former Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy was heading to SmackDown Live. Given the reputation he had earned over the last year through putting on a constant stream of amazing matches (as this list proves), many were excited to see Murphy perform on a bigger stage. Unfortunately, it would take four months before WWE would give Murphy the opportunity, but it was certainly worth it.
After being accidentally added into a major storyline, Murphy had his first main roster match against The Big Dog, Roman Reigns. To many fans' delight, Murphy put on an incredible, competitive showing against the former WWE Champion, making a believable case for him to potentially beat a massive star. Plus, he may have gifted Roman with the best Spear sell yet of his career.
The bout instantly became one of the best WWE matches of 2019, being widely praised by fans, watched millions of times on YouTube, and earning four stars from the Wrestling Observer. It opened so many eyes to Murphy, both in front and behind the cameras, and it seems to mark the start of something special.
#3 Vs. Cedric Alexander - 205 Live, May 29th, 2018
Of the many battles Murphy and Alexander had throughout 2018, the pairing struck the most gold in their first outing together back in May.
At that point, it was arguably the best match the cruiserweight show had seen thus far. After the first few months on the brand that led up to this bout, Murphy seemed unstoppable going up against the relatively new champion Alexander. Starting out as a feeling out process in an attempt to one-up each other, the match evolved into a solid, ruthless, twenty-minute melee.
The match marked a pivotal point in the post-Enzo Amore reboot of 205 Live, being responsible for establishing the show as a reliable source for fantastic main event matches on a weekly basis. Alexander flourished as the confident champion overcoming the cocky challenger that pushed him to his limits through overwhelming power and counter wrestling.
For both men, this was the kickstart of a major change in their careers, with Murphy cementing himself as one of WWE's most promising talents, and Alexander coming across as a believable title holder that could be depended upon for an unwavering level of high quality.
#2 W/ Tony Nese vs. Lucha House Party - 205 Live, August 21st, 2018
On paper, this may not seem like a show-stealing encounter, yet once you watch a few minutes of it, you will be engrossed by the stunning amounts of chemistry between these two teams. In August last year, Nese, Murphy, Metalik, and Dorado blew 205 Live viewers away with one of the best tornado tags seen in years. Not a moment was wasted as a constant stream of double team maneuvers played out from bell to bell.
This match served as a great reminder of Murphy's tag team abilities stemming from his beginnings in NXT, while also making him look like a dominating beast in his division thanks to his impressive displays of strength. What's more, it gave Lucha House Party an opportunity to break through the shroud of shenanigans and pinatas to remind people how talented they really are inside the ring.
Watch this match in awe of the fluidity of the action. Both sets of partners appear to be perfectly in-sync as they orchestrate sequences of matching offense. It is a marvel of two-on-two competition, and perhaps the finest tag team bout in 205 Live history.
#1 Vs. Mustafa Ali - 205 Live, July 3rd, 2018
Without question, Ali is Buddy Murphy's greatest opponent to date. The string of matches these two now main roster stars had against each other on 205 Live and pay-per-views made for one of the best in-ring rivalries of 2018. Of all the show-stealers these two were a part of, their No Disqualification war from America's birthday is easily their greatest, and potentially the best match in 205 Live history.
The violence in this match became uncomfortable at times. The viciousness from both men feels like it comes from a deeply personal place. It was pure animosity mixed with Murphy and Ali's deep well of creative offense. As he always does, Ali played the underdog perfectly as Murphy attempted to utterly destroy him through his insane moveset and probably the best use of a set of steel stairs ever in WWE.
Any fan that needs an introduction to Buddy Murphy, Ali or 205 Live, this is the match to immediately point them to. Thankfully we will see these two collide in the King of the Ring on SmackDown Live, and it may just be the biggest highlight of the entire tournament.
