Malakai Black believes a fellow member of the House of Black is underappreciated.
Buddy Matthews joined up with Black and Brody King on his AEW debut in February 2022, aiding the pair in their feud with Death Triangle. In recent months, the three have become a force to be reckoned with as the World Trios Champions, having scored a huge victory over The Elite’s Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks to claim the gold.
During an appearance on The Undisputed Podcast with Bobby Fish, Black explained why he thinks fans don’t see how good Matthews is.
“I don’t think people appreciate how good Buddy is. Buddy has always been seen as a guy that makes others look good. You [Bobby Fish] and I both know that it takes two to tango … Just because he has so much body control for a guy the size of him, he makes everything look fantastic.
“When it comes to the sheer ability and athleticism, I think Buddy Matthews is one of the best in this current era. And not because we’re in a group, not because he’s one of my best friends, but just from a pro wrestling standpoint from being in the ring with him.”
Black and Murphy work well as a team because they have similar philosophies when it comes to wrestling, with Black saying they have “the very same ideas.”
“Him and me have a lot of very similar philosophies in wrestling … We’ll butt heads, but all, for the most part, we have a very same idea on selling, we have a very same idea on psychology, we have a very same idea of how to implement what.
“Very detailed. I genuinely think that people need to realize how damn good he is. He’s really, really something unique.”
Malakai Black believes Buddy Murphy has the tools to be an “elite character”
Black offered some constructive criticism for his ally, saying that he needs to “take a step forward” to get to the next level.
“When it comes to Buddy, I think it’s — and I have to say this delicately without — this is a form of criticism that I think is usable and also understood by him.
“I think it’s the ability to take a step forward and separate himself in terms of being an elite character. Where I feel like people automatically come [and] flock to me because there’s a level of confidence. And don’t get me wrong, Buddy has all the confidence in the world.
“But I think that Buddy sometimes is in a step where he’s like, ‘Well, Tom’s [Black’s real name] that guy. I don’t have to be that guy.’ I just think that Buddy has accepted the part of that for himself”
“Maybe it’s pressure? Maybe he just doesn’t want to? Maybe he’s very content with how he is because, at the same time, he does phenomenal stuff … Maybe it’s just something he’s still figuring out for himself.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the above transcription.