Former WWE Superstar recalls match against Roman Reigns as "coming-out party"

Former WWE superstar Buddy Matthews (f.k.a. Buddy Murphy) compared his upcoming match against Kazuchika Okada to his in-ring bout against Universal Champion Roman Reigns. He drew similarities between the two encounters during his recent interview with Forbes.

Buddy Matthews is set to make his NJPW debut at the Battle in the Valley event scheduled to take place this weekend. He is scheduled to lock horns with Okada and believes it would be similar to fighting the biggest superstar in WWE.

Back in August 2019, Matthews was teased as Reigns' mystery attacker on SmackDown. The angle led to a match between the two superstars that featured an impressive performance from Matthews despite his loss.

He feels that his match against Roman Reigns was a "coming out party" because it introduced the WWE Universe to his work. In the same way, his match against Okada will help create his reputation in front of more who have not yet followed his career.

"It's definitely up there. I feel like it's kind of in the same ballpark as when I wrestled Roman [Reigns]," said Matthews. "That match that I had with Roman was the coming-out party of the introduction of me to the WWE Universe, so this is going to be the coming-out party outside of that to introduce me to the people who don't know or haven't followed my career in WWE."

"I feel like I'm a better performer when there's less buildup to it, less pressure and what not. I'm just going to go out there, do what I do best and tear it up. I don't think there's any bigger match that you could have in a debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling. I wanted to swim with the whales and they gave me the biggest whale they could find. Back in WWE, in 205 [Live], I had a chip on my shoulder to prove myself, and that chip has only gotten bigger. Expect a bigger, more intense and more driven Buddy Matthews going forward," concluded Matthews.

Earlier this month, Okada addressed Matthews in a backstage segment simply stating he would see the latter in San Jose at Battle in the Valley. Soon after that, the match was officially confirmed. Fans are eagerly waiting to see what this means for Matthews in NJPW.

What happened between Buddy Matthews (Buddy Murphy) and Roman Reigns in WWE?

Back in 2019, Roman Reigns was working as one of the biggest babyfaces on WWE SmackDown in the weeks leading up to SummerSlam. During this time, he was subjected to multiple attacks backstage.

One such segment saw Buddy Matthews present at the scene, making him one of the key suspects in the storyline. Reigns and Matthews even locked horns in a match that led to the latter instantly clicking with the audience. Roman Reigns intimidated Matthews long enough for him to give up Rowan's name as the actual culprit behind the mystery attacks.