Could Murphy Become RAW’s Newest Babyface Star?

This week on RAW, Seth Rollins brutally turned on his former Disciple, Murphy, after his former Tag champ partner almost cost him the Cage match against Dominik Mysterio. Tensions have been brewing between the two for several weeks, since the duo initially started taking losses at the hands of Dom and his Pa, Rey. The split from ‘The Monday Night Messiah’ brings Murphy’s best run to date to an end.

During his run with Seth, Murphy was able to enjoy twice as much screen time than he was ever given as Cruiserweight Champion and even picked up the RAW Tag titles from The Viking Raiders. This was huge for Murphy, giving us the impression that WWE still see something in the ‘Best Kept Secret’.

Could this new programme with Rollins lead to Murphy’s next evolution? Might we about to witness the crowning of a new babyface star on the main roster? Only time will tell, but we’re fully behind the idea of Murphy stepping up to the plate.

It wouldn’t shock me if we saw Rollins and Murphy booked into a singles match at the upcoming Clash of Champions pay-per-view, especially now that the feud with the Mysterio family has reached curtains. A match that would be easily set up by a fiery promo from Murphy on next week’s edition of RAW, calling out his former mentor for treating him like garbage and holding him back from his true potential. Just by giving Murphy a little mic-time, and the chance to share a ring with a veteran like Rollins, then there’s nothing stopping him from being seen as a future singles star.

This could, and should, be Murphy’s do-or-die performance, showing the world his capabilities as an underdog babyface. There’s no doubt he and Seth could knock it out of the park in a singles match, here’s hoping WWE give them enough time to show off some of their untapped potential.

Should Murphy somehow pull off the win in this match, which admittedly is fairly unlikely considering WWE’s history of not cementing new talent with big wins, this could be the start of a huge singles run for Murphy, that could span to even a mid-card title win and maybe even something beyond in the future. Murphy has the ability to become WWE’s next workhorse, putting together critically-acclaimed matches with some of the best in the world and having the longevity to remain one of WWE’s youngest and most reliable stars.

I’m not suggesting that we suddenly shoehorn Murphy into the WWE title picture in time for ‘Mania, but there’s definitely something worth capitalising on with the Australian native. His matches have been compared to that of Kenny Omega, which puts him on a very high pedestal in terms of in-ring potential. WWE can’t miss this opportunity to polish a diamond in the rough, even if it does end up as a failed experiment. Rollins can take the loss, and quite frankly, Murphy desperately needs the win before once again becoming Main Event fodder.

Despite his years of tenure in both NXT and the main roster, there are still some fans who aren’t completely sold on Murphy as a singles star. In the past, Murphy has had top quality matches with the likes of Aleister Black, Mustafa Ali and even the current Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. It almost came as a surprise to the WWE Universe that the Aussie 205’er was as fluent in the ring as he was, despite him being one of the most experienced graduates of the WWE PC.

Murphy has become a constant of the main roster, delivering in WrestleMania performances and stealing the show in his hometown of Melbourne, yet he’s never quite broken out of the undercard until recently. Even while teaming with Rollins, Murphy never really stood out on his own, but consistently delivered on some impeccable selling and equally fun in-ring spots. If there’s ever a chance for Murphy to strike out on its own, then it’s right now.

Do you see Murphy evolving into a future babyface star? Maybe even the first Aussie World Champion? Let us know your thoughts on ‘The Disciple’ in the comments below.