Matthew Adams, also known by his ring name Buddy Matthews or Buddy Murphy, is a professional wrestler from Australia who is currently under contract with NJPW. He gained recognition for his performances in WWE, where he previously held the title of WWE Cruiserweight Champion.
Buddy Matthews Bio Details
Full name: Matthew Adams
Date of birth: September 26, 1988
Age: 36 years (2025)
Nationality: Australian
Place of birth: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Height: 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight: 225 lb (102 kg)
Ring name: Buddy Matthews
Marital status: Married
Wife: Rhea Ripley
Early Life & Career
Matthew Adams was born on 26 September 1988 in Melbourne, Victoria. He attended Berwick Secondary College, where he graduated in 2006.
Carlo Cannon mentored Adams, who first appeared as “Matt Silva” on 8 September 2007 at Professional Championship Wrestling (PCW).
In his debut, he partnered with Jacko Lantern to defeat Adam Brooks and Diaz. Three years later, on 3 December 2010, he claimed the PCW State Championship after defeating Danny Psycho.
On 28 January 2012, he claimed the MCW World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Slex, solidifying his role as a key figure in Melbourne City Wrestling (MCW). He maintained the title for 293 days.
WWE Career
Buddy Matthews joined WWE and joined forces with NXT. Initially, he partnered with various wrestlers before teaming up with Wesley Blake. In 2014, Matthews established a tag team and primarily competed in tag team matches.
In 2015, Alexa Bliss became the team’s manager. Under her guidance, Blake and Matthews became the best teams for the tag team titles. They achieved victory on NXT by defeating The Lucha Dragons, earning themselves the NXT Tag Team Championship. However, The Vaudevillians ultimately ended after 219 days, their reign.
Following their loss of the titles and Bliss’ move to the main roster, the team broke up. Matthews continued to compete as an individual in NXT and was defeated by Shinsuke Nakamura. Matthews then took a considerable break before joining the main roster.
After losing 25 pounds, Matthews joined the 205 Live division. In January, he lost in the cruiserweight tournament semi-finals. He then feuded with and defeated Mustafa Ali. Winning several matches, Buddy Matthews challenged the champion.
Matthews beat Cedric Alexander at Super Showdown in Melbourne for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. He lost the title to Tony Nese at WrestleMania 35.
Following the Superstar Shakeup, he made his move to SmackDown. During his tenure on the show, he took on formidable opponents such as Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, Mustafa Ali, and Apollo Crews.
Eventually, at the Draft, he was selected to join the RAW roster. While on RAW, he experienced a string of victories but was unable to secure a match against the current United States Champion, AJ Styles.
He started competing against Aleister Black in November and was defeated. Then, in January, he joined forces with Seth Rollins and became his follower. Together on RAW, they were victorious in winning the RAW Tag Team Championship from The Viking Raiders. However, they were later dethroned by The Street Profits on RAW.
Buddy Matthews and Seth Rollins had a six-month rivalry with The Mysterios that spanned RAW and SmackDown. After Aalyah kissed Matthews, he turned on Rollins and attacked him following an act of humiliation.
Before the Survivor Series, Buddy Matthews emerged victorious over Rollins on SmackDown, effectively concluding their storyline. However, in March, Matthews made a surprise comeback to align himself with Rollins. This was ultimately Buddy Matthews’ final appearance with the company.
In October, he revealed that he had joined NJPW under the name Buddy Matthews. He faced Okada at the Battle in the Valley but was defeated.
The following year, Matthews made his first appearance on Dynamite and became a member of the House of Black. The House of Black emerged victorious over Death Triangle and Erick RedBeard at Revolution.
Personal Life
Buddy Matthews’ previous engagement was to American wrestler Alexis Cabrera, also known as Alexa Bliss in the ring. However, their engagement ended in September 2018, but they remain on good terms.
After that, Buddy entered into a romantic relationship with another Australian wrestler, Demi Bennett, who goes by the stage name Rhea Ripley. The couple tied the knot in June 2024.
Net Worth
As of 2025, Buddy Matthews’ net worth is estimated to be $5 million. His main source of income comes from his salaries from various wrestling organizations.
Additionally, Matthews also earns money through partnerships on social media, endorsements, pay-per-view events, and appearances in the media and public events.
