Buddy Matthews and his teammates in the House Of Black are going into Sunday's AEW Revolution pay-per-view with a definite chip on their shoulders.
The group have been must-see TV for the company since forming over a year ago, but for a lot of wrestling fans, the lack of consistency has been a major sticking point.
Matthews has wrestled a total of three singles matches on AEW programming since arriving in February 2022, with a recent TNT Title loss to Darby Allin the major highlight.
Malakai Black and Brody King have had more opportunities to showcase their undeniable ability on TV, but it still feels like the surface has barely been scratched.
EXCLUSIVE: How a makeshift tag-team became AEW's hottest act
As a trio, House Of Black have been riddled with stop-start opportunities. Every time it feels like they are about to get going, the rug is pulled from out underneath them for one reason or another.
Speaking to The Sporting News ahead of their massive AEW Trios Title match against titleholders The Elite (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks), Matthews admitted there has been growing frustration within the group - and that's exactly why this match means so much to them.
“It’s exactly where we see that we should be...it’s a spot that we think we belong in and on Sunday, we will get in there and take those Trios Titles," he said.
"I believe that we could be the next big thing as a group in professional wrestling, but it’s a little stop-start...after Sunday after we capture those Trios Titles, we are going to be undeniable at that point.
“I think that once Sunday happens and we prove to the world, prove to Tony [AEW President Tony Khan] and prove to The Elite that we are the best trio on the planet, that’s the first step and I don’t see 2023 being forgotten about.
"We came in, we did some warm-ups in 2022 and 2023 is here, we will take those titles and prove to everyone that we are the best trio in the world.
"I’d love to see Malakai start going for the world title and maybe myself for the All-Atlantic Title and bring that out to defend it in Australia one day maybe.
"This is the first stop but there is going to be a lot more success and a lot more championships for the three of us, and even Julia can get in there and mix it up in the women’s division.
"We will revisit this in 2024 when we are talking about multiple other titles."
Matthews has had a successful run all over the globe - particularly in the United States - after his humble beginnings in Melbourne, Australia.
During a lengthy tenure in WWE, the 34-year-old held the Cruiserweight Title and Tag Team Titles and was featured prominently alongside multi-time world champion Seth Rollins.
Another man that Matthews - formerly Murphy - was linked to during his time with WWE was his now-teammate in Black. The pair had a brilliant rivalry a number of years ago that received universal praise within the wrestling community.
Matthews admitted that having a familiar face around when he jumped ship to AEW helped him in his transition.
“It’s awesome – me and Malakai have travelled the roads together and we are super close," he said.
"We have the same work ethic and we both like being very creative and we love bouncing off each other.
"To come over with a familiar face and someone that I have such great chemistry with in the ring and to kind of continue the story from the other company to this company – it’s cool.
"It was really cool to work alongside him and see his creativeness and help bring his baby to light on the screen. They truly are my brothers."
House Of Black disappeared without any clear reasoning last September, leaving the AEW fanbase with more questions than answers regarding their future.
But for Matthews, that period was one of the most difficult in his life and sent a timely reminder that while they are massive stars on a global stage, wrestlers have their own personal issues just like everyone else.
“I think it gave us all time to clear our heads," he said.
"What you see on television and following us on social media, we also have have the real life part and we all – everyone in the world – has to go back to that real world and deal with some stuff sometimes.
"Malakai had his things, Brody had his things and I had mine. I lost a really close friend of mine in Australia from suicide and that hit me really hard. It all kind of hit us around the same time – I think that it lit a fire under us a little bit.
"It gets frustrating – I feel like social media and Twitter especially has become this platform where people can talk and say things without any consequences.
"I think it lit a fire under us and made us hungrier, but we were already hungry anyway. Sunday is where we prove it all and get what we deserve – recognition, more time and a stage to do what we do."
If it wasn't obvious by the amount of times Matthews has mentioned it, Sunday is arguably the biggest match of his professional wrestling career.
And while capturing championship gold for the first time in AEW is important, Matthews is also hoping the trios rivalry can open more doors for him as a singles performers - potentially against one of the best of all-time in former world champion, Kenny Omega.
“Obviously a lot of people have compared me and Kenny from my career in the other company, doing the 205 Live and cruiserweight stuff," he said.
"Our careers have been very similar but just on different paths, and someday people are going to get their wish. I’m sure Kenny is excited for it just as much as I am.
"You see our group and our group, we have all had different paths, but it’s all coming to a head on Sunday.
"Hopefully it does open more doors for future matches, whether it be trios, tag or singles."
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is now available in Australia and New Zealand on ESPN and ESPN2 via Foxtel, Kayo Sports, Fetch TV and SKY NZ.
AEW Revolution will be broadcast live on Bleacher Report Live in the U.S. and on FITE.TV and DAZN internationally.
When does AEW Revolution 2023 start?
- Date: Sunday, March 5 | Monday, March 6
- Buy-In: 7 p.m. ET | 12 a.m. GMT | 11 a.m. AEDT (Monday)
- Main card: 8 p.m. ET | 1 a.m. GMT | 12 p.m. AEDT (Monday)
AEW Revolution 2023 takes place on Sunday, March 5. The main card will air at 8 p.m. ET | 1 a.m. GMT | 12 p.m. AEDT, and the buy-in pre-show takes place at 7 p.m. ET | 12 a.m. GMT | 11 a.m. AEDT.
