Seth Rollins has enjoyed plenty of time as the hero of Monday Night Raw. After "Monday Night Rollins" became "The Messiah," Rollins is now doing some of his best work ever as a villain in WWE. Still, a villain is nothing without his henchmen.
As Rollins strives to show the WWE Universe the light, he has recruited two up-and-coming Superstars that every WWE fan should make themselves familiar with in Buddy Murphy and Austin Theory. The trio has come together to form a new powerhouse stable for Monday Night Raw. Murphy and Austin Theory are Seth Rollin's disciples, and they are ready to take the rest of the Raw locker room by storm. Without further ado, here are 10 real-life facts you need to know about Murphy and Austin Theory.
- 10 Austin Theory Is A Former Evolve World Champion
- 9 Buddy Murphy Hated Wrestling At First
- 8 Austin Theory Is One Of The Youngest Superstars In WWE
- 7 Jeff Hardy Was Buddy Murphy's Favorite Wrestler
- 6 Austin Theory Has Already Had Matches With Many WWE Stars
- 5 Buddy Murphy Began Training At An Extremely Young Age
- 4 Austin Theory Is A Former Champion Bodybuilder
- 3 Buddy Murphy Was Engaged To His Former Manager, Alexa Bliss
- 2 Austin Theory Was Called Up Early Due To An Injury
- 1 Buddy Murphy Is The First Australian-Born Superstar To Win A Title
10 Austin Theory Is A Former Evolve World Champion
Austin Theory had a fantastic career on the independent circle, most notably in Gabe Sapolsky's renowned Evolve promotion. He's relatively fresh on the scene, having only debuted four short years ago. In 2017, Theory had his debut match for Evolve against AEW's Darby Allin. One year later, Theory captured the Evolve Championship against current NXT Superstars Roderick Strong and Fabian Aichner. Though he may not have much experience under his belt, Theory was able to open enough eyes to earn him a championship opportunity at such a young age.
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9 Buddy Murphy Hated Wrestling At First
Most wrestlers will say that it was love at first sight when it came to wrestling, but Buddy Murphy is a surprising exception. In an interview with Lillian Garcia, Murphy revealed he hated wrestling the first time he watched a WWE show. It wasn't until the following week that his older brother insisted the pair give Raw another shot. From then on, Murphy was hooked. The high-impact action of Kane, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and many other Attitude Era Superstars influenced him to pursue his own career inside the squared-circle.
8 Austin Theory Is One Of The Youngest Superstars In WWE
Theory's talent exceeds his young age. When he made his NXT debut in December of 2019, he was just 22-years-old. Joining the likes of Tyler Bate and Velveteen Dream, Theory is one of the youngest Superstars on the entire WWE roster.
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He made his pro debut at the age of 18 and has managed to secure a main roster spot with main-event level talent Seth Rollins in a very short matter of time. He's so far ahead at such a young age. It's exciting to imagine the possibilities once the talented young star reaches his full potential.
7 Jeff Hardy Was Buddy Murphy's Favorite Wrestler
Every wrestler has that one legend, in particular, they look up too. For Buddy Murphy, that Superstar was Jeff Hardy. Hardy's high-flying antics kept many young fans in awe for much of the '90s and early 2000s, and Murphy was no different. In that same interview with Lillian Garcia, Murphy revealed that his finishing-move on the independents was actually the Swanton Bomb, Hardy's famous aerial maneuver. Murphy has even gone as far as to style some of his in-ring gear as an homage to Hardy.
6 Austin Theory Has Already Had Matches With Many WWE Stars
With the current WWE roster, it's not uncommon for many stars to cross paths one way or another before arriving at the big stage. Theory is no different, having many action-packed bouts with a variety of current stars.
He's already done battle with foes such as Lio Rush and Roderick Strong, as well as independent stars like Will Ospreay and Zack Sabre Jr. His most notable feud was perhaps with current NXT North American Champion Keith Lee when Theory ended Lee's 175 WWN Championship reign. He's already mixed it up with some of the best wrestlers in the world. It will be exciting to see how Theory develops competing next to Seth Rollins and fellow disciple Murphy.
5 Buddy Murphy Began Training At An Extremely Young Age
Though the wrestling scene was relatively untapped in Australia, Murphy managed to find a school to start honing his craft inside the ring at a very young age. While he certainly wasn't the Murphy of today, he managed to get his start at the ripe age of 14-years-old. Acting as a glorified training-dummy, he would eventually make his pro-debut with Professional Championship Wrestling at the age of 19. Six years later, Murphy would sign with WWE and begin his training at the Performance Center.
4 Austin Theory Is A Former Champion Bodybuilder
Wrestling requires a demanding physique, and Theory was putting his own to good use well before his wrestling career began. Theory began competing in bodybuilding competitions across his home state of Georgia when he was in high school. Eventually, he would go on to win the NPC George Bodybuilding Championship at the age of 17. Shortly after, Theory would begin to pursue his wrestling career. Many other wrestlers went the bodybuilding route before pursuing professional wrestling, including Alexa Bliss and WWE Hall-of-Famer Triple H. Perhaps, Theory will follow in their footsteps and capture a world title or two for himself.
3 Buddy Murphy Was Engaged To His Former Manager, Alexa Bliss
Long before her time as "The Goddess," Alexa Bliss was the manager for the up-and-coming NXT tag team of Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy. They were marginally successful, but the group would prove to be more of a launching platform for the pair in the end.
Murphy eventually found success in 205 Live while Bliss dominated the Women's Division across both Raw and SmackDown, winning seven titles in total. Bliss and Murphy had a budding relationship during their time in NXT, announcing their engagement in early 2017. Just over a year later, however, it was reported that the couple split. Murphy credits Bliss for helping him develop the character-performance aspect of his career, something he certainly got to expand on after his time in NXT.
2 Austin Theory Was Called Up Early Due To An Injury
Wrestlers in WWE are usually given ample time to hone their craft in the NXT developmental system. Even though Austin Theory is young and has much to learn, he already has a golden opportunity on the Raw roster. As a result of Andrade's rib injury, Theory suddenly found himself scheduled for a Raw Tag Team Championship match against The Street Profits at WrestleMania 36. He would team with another associate of Zelina Vega's, Angel Garza. Though his time in the group was short-lived, Theory now finds himself with a potentially greater opportunity to learn from a former Universal Champion, Seth Rollins.
1 Buddy Murphy Is The First Australian-Born Superstar To Win A Title
Perhaps his biggest claim to fame, Buddy Murphy is the first man or woman born in Australia to hold a title in WWE. While many may remember his stunning victory over Cedric Alexander for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship at WWE's Super Show-Down in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia, it was his time in NXT that earned him this honor.
Murphy defeated The Lucha Dragons for the NXT Tag Team Titles in early 2015. He cemented his place in history as the first Australian Superstar to win a championship in the company. Now, Murphy finds himself back in the tag team scene, winning the Raw Tag Team Titles with Seth Rollins in early 2020. He's now formed an alliance with his fellow disciple Austin Theory. One has to wonder if Theory and Murphy will be the next dominant tag team in WWE.
