[Drago]

Source: http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/650...-which-wwe-hofer-paired-him-with-wesley-blake

NXT Star Buddy Murphy recently spoke with Scott Fishman of Channel Guide Magazine while promoting the current NXT UK tour.

Murphy, who is a former NXT Tag Team Champion along with partner Wesley Blake, talks about being WWE’s first Australian-born champion, how he started teaming with Blake, who put them together, adding Alexa Bliss, how NXT has grown, and much more. You can read a few excerpts below:

Buddy Murphy on being WWE’s first Australian-born champion:

“It was a huge honor. It was quite an accomplishment for me. I wasn’t aware it went beyond that until the Australian fans hit me up on Twitter to inform me. I did a little research and was the first Australian-born to ever hold a championship. It’s something nobody can take away from me. It’s awesome. Speechless is the right word.”

How he was paired with Blake because of Dusty Rhodes’ suggestion:

“We both had a similar look. A lot of people get us mixed up as brothers. So when we were put together we had a trial run that did pretty well. We’ve been tagging for about a year-and-a-half now. I think Blake and I are just starting to get to where we want now with our tag team wrestling and psychology. I think we are really better now than we have ever been in our career.

Dusty was a huge part of bringing me out of my shell. I was this shy kid, and Wes was this outgoing Texan. He saw potential in us both in bringing us together. We found magic there. We owe our careers, our tag team run and our tag team championship run. We owe it all to Dusty.”

How big NXT has gotten since he arrived:

“When I first came here they couldn’t really draw. Our product wasn’t known to the world like it is now. So when we did these shows we used to have like 10 or 15 people sometimes. Now we are selling out with 400 to 500 people and more on bigger events. To when I first started to now is night and day. To be part of this whole thing, it’s great. There is not one person at the Performance Center who doesn’t work hard.

We all bust our butts every single day to become the best. We have the best brand, so we are trying to show the world. The moment it kind of stood out was in Brooklyn. We sold out the Barclays Center. It’s the same venue as SummerSlam with thousands of fans watching NXT and screaming NXT. You go from a little town drawing five people, 10 people to big arenas. This is NXT today.”

 

[december_blue]

Nice! Murphy isn't one of the usual NXT guys that we see doing a lot of press and interviews, so this is very cool.

 

[Oxidamus]

I wonder if he recognises that the Brooklyn crowd was 100% against him and Blake. :mj2
They had the biggest boo of all NXT talent, by far. :mj2

 

[Chris JeriG.O.A.T]

I wonder if he recognises that the Brooklyn crowd was 100% against him and Blake. :mj2
They had the biggest boo of all NXT talent, by far. :mj2

Isn't that a good thing? They were heels and they got the Vaudevillains super over who coming in were luke-warm babyfaces.

 

[Oxidamus]

Isn't that a good thing? They were heels and they got the Vaudevillains super over who coming in were luke-warm babyfaces.

I'm 50/50 on heel reactions in the biz. Being a heel is tough, basically.

 

[Chris JeriG.O.A.T]

I'm 50/50 on heel reactions in the biz. Being a heel is tough, basically.

Is it the confusion of whether it's actual heat or "fuck off" heat? Or is it just wanting to see your favorites get the "feel-good" reaction?

I would argue that fuck off heat is real heat ONLY IF the person receiving it is a talented performer. I've bought into and got so strongly behind the opponents of Cena and Sheamus because even though I get sick of seeing them, they always deliver when I do. I always want to change the channel at the beginning but it usually doesn't take long for me to get into and by the end I'm usually glad I didn't skip it.

The US Open Grave challenge made me get so strongly behind guys like Neville, Zayn and Cesaro that I normally can't stand just hoping anybody would beat him.

 

[Oxidamus]

Is it the confusion of whether it's actual heat or "fuck off" heat? Or is it just wanting to see your favorites get the "feel-good" reaction?

I would argue that fuck off heat is real heat ONLY IF the person receiving it is a talented performer. I've bought into and got so strongly behind the opponents of Cena and Sheamus because even though I get sick of seeing them, they always deliver when I do. I always want to change the channel at the beginning but it usually doesn't take long for me to get into and by the end I'm usually glad I didn't skip it.

The US Open Grave challenge made me get so strongly behind guys like Neville, Zayn and Cesaro that I normally can't stand just hoping anybody would beat him.

I think NXT is a little bit different to the main roster with heels. On the main roster, when a heel is being booed and there's no audible cheers it's a pretty bad sign. Not that they're a bad heel, but that the audience doesn't care for a genuine heel that doesn't make them laugh or whatever (difference between Rusev and Bad News Barrett, basically). I've been meaning to make a long post about this because it seems like a prevalent, yet subconscious thing built into wrestling fans nowadays. :side:

For NXT though I think that when heels don't get cheers, it's not necessarily that people hate them, it's just that the fans don't think they're talented. Which is a load of shite for BAM obviously. I'd be worried being a talented wrestler and not getting cheers from NXT fans, because they cheer for basically anyone who can have an alright match. Not because I'd be self-conscious of my talent, but because I'd be scared that the lack of a positive reaction from people who cheer virtually anything would be incorporated backstage somehow.

 

[Chris JeriG.O.A.T]

I think NXT is a little bit different to the main roster with heels. On the main roster, when a heel is being booed and there's no audible cheers it's a pretty bad sign. Not that they're a bad heel, but that the audience doesn't care for a genuine heel that doesn't make them laugh or whatever (difference between Rusev and Bad News Barrett, basically). I've been meaning to make a long post about this because it seems like a prevalent, yet subconscious thing built into wrestling fans nowadays. :side:

For NXT though I think that when heels don't get cheers, it's not necessarily that people hate them, it's just that the fans don't think they're talented. Which is a load of shite for BAM obviously. I'd be worried being a talented wrestler and not getting cheers from NXT fans, because they cheer for basically anyone who can have an alright match. Not because I'd be self-conscious of my talent, but because I'd be scared that the lack of a positive reaction from people who cheer virtually anything would be incorporated backstage somehow.

Okay that makes sense, even the Mechanics get cheered... but you have to consider BK wasn't the normal Full Sail jabronis, I'd like to think it was a more casual crowd that were booing them for the amazing shit heels they are.

 

[Oxidamus]

Okay that makes sense, even the Mechanics get cheered... but you have to consider BK wasn't the normal Full Sail jabronis, I'd like to think it was a more casual crowd that were booing them for the amazing shit heels they are.

Ultimately it's the same. Full Sail and basically almost anyone around the world (or maybe just America/Canada) who watches NXT is going to have the same mindset. Or, just the majority of NXT fans I mean. Full Sail have a circle-jerk on air every week, which makes them worse, but other than that they're likely no different. Though we've only seen two non-FS shows AFAICR.

Hell take anywhere for an example of hate for BAM, it seems most people who know of them don't like them. I can see why - I'm still skeptical about their booking being intentional or not myself (leaning more towards yes, though).

 

[GTL]

NXT has not been great at producing heels and crowd reaction to them is hard to gauge. In this case I'd say that Alexa has brought enough heelness to make the fans dislike them in a good way. She can radiate bitchness at Sasha levels.

So I wouldn't be too worried by boos for them now.

 

[Braylyt]

They do the "come on Barbie, let's go Barbie" all the time and last night they got the Freddy Krueger-chants for their outfits, while still getting boo'd when they act heelish. I think they're in a pretty good spot as far as reactions go.

 

[Drago]

They do the "come on Barbie, let's go Barbie" all the time and last night they got the Freddy Krueger-chants for their outfits, while still getting boo'd when they act heelish. I think they're in a pretty good spot as far as reactions go.

Good to hear that! They're a heel Usos for me - I don't like or care about them that much, but I can't deny they're pretty useful in the division and can put some good matches.