Former WWE Superstar Buddy Matthews Set For PWG Debut At BOLA 2022
Former WWE Superstar Buddy Matthews (Buddy Murphy) will compete at the 2022 edition Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's prestigious 'Battle of Los Angeles' tournament, which goes down at The Globe Theater in Los Angeles, California on January 29th and 30th.
Matthews will compete alongside his fellow-former WWE Superstars Jonah Rock (Bronson Reed) and Lio Rush, as well as veterans like Alex Shelley and Davey Richards. Ring Of Honor Champion Jonathan Gresham is also participating in the tournament, with, Rey Horus, Phillip Five Skulls, Kevin Blackwood, Black Taurus, Jack Cartwheel, Bandido, Aramis, and AEW stars Daniel Garcia, JD Drake, and Lee Moriarty completing the lineup.
BOLA was last held in 2019 when it was won by Bandido, who defeated Jonathan Gresham and David Starr in the Triple Threat final. Past BOLA winners include Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Kenny Omega, Ricochet, and Sami Zayn.
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As we previously reported, Matthews has himself teased a potential AEW appearance, but there were also conflicting reports that suggested the company had passed on the opportunity to sign the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Additionally, IMPACT Wrestling EVP Scott D'Amore hinted during a Twitch back in August that Matthews was on his way to IMPACT, although that has yet to come to fruition.
Matthews made his New Japan Pro Wrestling debut last month. The booking was Buddy's first with a non-independent promotion since parting ways with WWE. At the time of writing, details regarding Buddy's deal with New Japan have yet to be revealed, but as one of the hottest free agents in wrestling, it surely won't take long for him to sign a full-time contract with one of the major promotions.
Matthews is a former NXT Tag Team Champion, a former WWE Raw Tag Team Champion, and a former NXT Cruiserweight Champion. The former Buddy Murphy was released by WWE on June 2 following an eight-year stint with the company.
