Buddy Matthews Cleared For Pro Wrestling Return

Following 18 months out of action, Buddy Matthews has announced that he has been medically cleared to return to the squared circle.

Matthews made the announcement in a video on his Instagram account, during which he was training for a pro wrestling return. The video ended with the former AEW World Trios Champion noting he had been cleared and that his future opponents should be scared.

Matthews had been on the shelf since February 2025 when he rolled his ankle at Grand Slam Australia ahead of his scheduled match with Kazuchika Okada while jumping from the turnbuckle to the mat. Matthews worked a 15-minute match with Okada, during which he displayed no obvious issues, but he was hobbling after the match.

Matthews expected to be back in the ring in April 2025, but he suffered multiple setbacks in his recovery from the ankle injury. The 37-year-old didn't sustain a broken ankle but he did suffer ligament and cartilage damage.

The former Buddy Murphy made a surprise appearance for Australia’s World Series Wrestling in May 2026, during which he revealed he would be cleared by October and wrestling for the promotion in October/November.

Whether All Elite Wrestling have any immediate plans to bring Buddy Matthews back to TV is unknown. How the promotion would utilise Matthews is also unclear as he had just formed the Hounds of Hell with Brody King and Julia Hart as a successor to the House of Black when he sustained the ankle injury. King has since formed Brodido with Bandido, while Julia Hart is a part of Triangle of Madness with Thekla and Skye Blue.