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Buddy Matthews Reveals Thoughts On Potential WWE Return To Work With Rhea Ripley

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Jon Alba | Last updated May 1, 2025 4:03 PM ET

Buddy Matthews is sidelined with an injury he suffered ahead of his match at AEW Grand Slam Australia with Okada, but he's open to what may be in store for the future.

Matthews is married to WWE star Rhea Ripley, and spent eight years in the company from 2013 through 2021. He jumped to AEW and became a part of the House of Black stable, which underwent some changes after Malakai Black left the company for WWE.

So it begs to ask: could Matthews eventually jump back to WWE to work with his wife? Chris Van Vliet asked just that on his podcast.

“I think that’s the big question. So I would love to do something with her. I think that story and our chemistry, just the way we are, would be good television. That’s definitely something, an itch I’d like to scratch," he said. "But the good thing about her in WWE and me and AEW and us both being in the business is that I would never want, and I don’t think I’d ever get there, I’d never want to be jealous, or get jealous of her in her position."

The 36-year-old would go on to shower heavy praise on the former WWE Women's World Champion and her status within WWE.

"She’s a megastar, she’s John Cena of women right now, and if I’m lowered, let’s just say I’m doing enhancement matches or whatever. I don’t want to be like, well, you’re doing that, you get this special treatment, and I get this and then kind of resent her for the position. Like I said, I don’t think it would ever happen, but I wouldn’t even want that to be an option," he said.

Matthews didn't give any indication of imminent plans to return to WWE, especially as he's actively under AEW contract healing from injury. He did say, though, if he had the opportunity to work with Ripley, he'd want to make sure they'd be able to have active communication throughout the process.

"Then also, if something happens at work, I want her to be able to vent to me without me going, ‘Yeah, no, but this is how you play that game.’ I can kind of be that in the other in the back seat, go, Yeah, I understand what you’re talking about, you know you deserve whatever, or you know you should do it like this, or whatever, or just let her rant, and I can do the same to her. I can say I did this and did this," he said. "We can talk about the positives. We talk about the negatives. What upsets us and all, and it’s just like we’re on the same team. It would never become a competition.”

It's not yet clear when he will return to AEW TV, or if he'll continue to be a part of the Hounds of Hell stable.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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