"That was a big mistake" - Released WWE Star reveals how a production error got him booked in a storyline with Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns has been the premier star of WWE for a long time now. He is the most protected performer on the roster, and he currently holds the WWE Universal Championship. Whenever he competes with another wrestler, it usually elevates them to another level.
Such was the case with Buddy Murphy, who, in 2019, was briefly booked in an angle with Reigns. During a backstage segment on WWE SmackDown in July 2019, a pile of scaffolding fell on Roman Reigns when he was about to do an interview. Fans spotted Murphy standing in the background during the segment, and it was easy to assume he was involved with the storyline.
This speculation led to Reigns and Murphy having a match on WWE SmackDown, and the bout highlighted Murphy's remarkable in-ring ability.
At the time, there were reports and rumors circulating that Murphy was not supposed to be in the background, but it wasn't officially confirmed. Now, speaking with Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com, Buddy Murphy made it clear that he was never meant to be in the segment.
"That was a big mistake," said Murphy. "That was not meant to happen."
Murphy explained that when he was drafted to SmackDown, he wasn't given a prominent role. Instead, he was asked to cut promos in which he stated the same thing on consecutive weeks.
While he was backstage thinking about what to do with the promo that was given to him, he found himself in an intriguing predicament. At the time, Murphy wasn't aware that a segment was being filmed nearby in the same area, so he didn't make much of Roman Reigns passing by.
Later, Murphy found out that he was accidentally included in a shot during that memorable segment. He recalled how Elias told him he was visible during the angle with Reigns, and wrestling fans started buzzing about this development on Twitter.
Murphy also stated that he wasn't given any warning or indication that they were filming a segment backstage. The WWE crew didn't spot Murphy in the final cut, and the segment aired on WWE SmackDown with Murphy in the background.
"To be fair, they [the production team] didn't yell 'Clear," Murphy added. "They should have made sure I didn't get there [in the shot]."
The mystery attacker was later revealed to be former WWE Star Erick Rowan
After Murphy was spotted in that WWE SmackDown segment, Roman Reigns confronted him. Murphy later revealed that it was Rowan who had pushed over the equipment in an attempt to hurt Reigns.
The storyline progressed a bit further after it was revealed that it wasn't Rowan who attacked Reigns; instead, a lookalike of Rowan was responsible. But the former Wyatt Family member later admitted that he himself had attacked Reigns on that episode of WWE SmackDown.
Nonetheless, Murphy's accidental presence in the background got him noticed by many fans, and he capitalized on the chance to stand out on the main roster. What do you make of this incident? Sound off in the comments section below.
Please credit Fightful and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription should you use quotes from the article.
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