WWE Rumors: WWE higher-ups surprised by SmackDown star

If you've watched 205 Live over the last year and a half, then you already know just how good Buddy Murphy is. He "graduated" from NXT and joined the purple brand in 2018. His title reign helped elevate 205 Live to one of the better aspects of WWE programming every week.

Once he was announced as a member of SmackDown during the Superstar Shake Up, those who had enjoyed his prior work were excited. While he didn't get much exposure right away, his recent involvement in the "who attacked Roman Reigns" storyline has shown the world how good he is. Fightful Select is reporting that even higher-ups were surprised with Murphy, albeit for another reason.

Superstar Shake Up

The Superstar Shake Up had its pros and cons. It introduced new stars to both brands but it often takes time for a good deal of them to make an impact. Murphy was one of those cases this year. He was called the Best Kept Secret but it became less and less of a secret with every fantastic match he put on.

His main break came when he merely appeared in the background of the footage of Reigns' first attack. Murphy became a suspect and a witness, and those two roles netted him matches with two of the bigger stars on SmackDown in Reigns and Daniel Bryan. While he lost to Reigns, he picked up a monumental win over Daniel Bryan last week. According to Fightful Select, WWE officials have been surprised by Murphy, but more for how big he actually is in reality.

“[People were] surprised at how big he looked in the ring.”

Despite appearing bigger in the ring to officials, his performances against both Reigns and Bryan have proven that he belongs in the spotlight regardless of his physical stature.

Murphy in NXT

While a member of NXT, Murphy teamed with Wesley Blake and won the NXT Tag Team titles. During their entire run, it was apparent that Murphy was the Shawn Michaels of the tandem.

His move to 205 Live provided him with an opportunity, and he ran with it. He won the Cruiserweight Championship from Cedric Alexander at Super Showdown in Australia last year. His defenses at the Royal Rumble, Fastlane and Elimination Chamber propelled him to a main-roster call-up.

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