"I thought that was weird as I was a budget cut" - WWE feared Buddy Murphy had a 30-Day non-compete and offered to extend it
Last night the former Aleister Black debuted on AEW Dynamite. WWE feared Buddy Murphy might be able to do something similar but had their contract information mixed up.
Buddy Murphy sat down with Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful for his first post-WWE interview to discuss his WWE career and plans for the future. When the non-compete contract was discussed, Murphy revealed that WWE called him offering to extend his non-compete if it wasn't their standard 90-day contract:
"I received a phone call from the office the day after I was released saying that they received an email that they messed up and my contract was only 30-day non-compete and that if I wanted to prolong it to the 90 days that they would do that for me," Buddy Murphy said. "I thought that was weird as I was a budget cut, but you're still willing to pay me another two months, but it wasn't me. I had my letter, which says 'August 31.' When it comes to the visa situation, the more time I have, the better so I can get prepared. Even if they gave me an out, I would have to take it for my life. They thought it was me. I informed them that it wasn't because I received a letter, It went from panic to relief on the voice, then they moved on."
Buddy Murphy's non-compete expires August 31
Buddy Murphy thinks they got him confused with Aleister Black, which makes sense since Black did, in fact, have a 30-day non-compete contract that allowed him to debut on AEW Dynamite last night.
"I think they panicked and obviously they got the name mixed up," Buddy Murphy continued. "It was someone, but it wasn't me. Maybe Buddy and Aleister got mixed up. Buddy or Black, they are both B's. They called me, not me. You hear all the things like the trash bag thing and I'm a pretty open-minded person and don't get affected by it. I try and see both sides of the story. I don't think there was any malice behind the garbage bag, but it's not a good look, I get it. Do I believe there was actual malice to upset (talent)? No, I don't. Definitely a sh**** thing to do once you've been released and your life is being changed."
It's certainly a confusing situation. If WWE is truly worried about budget cuts, why would they offer to extend someone's contract and pay them more money? Something certainly doesn't add up when it comes to what they're telling the talent when they're being released.
Are you surprised by Buddy Murphy's story? Where would you like to see Murphy show up in September? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
Thanks to Fightful for the transcription of this interview.