Buddy Matthews hints at being cleared for AEW return
After a long injury absence, it sounds like AEW wrestler Buddy Matthews is finally cleared to get back in the ring.
Matthews made an Instagram post today hinting that he’s been cleared to start wrestling again. He’s been sidelined since February 2025, when he suffered an ankle injury while making his entrance to face Kazuchika Okada at AEW Grand Slam Australia. Matthews still competed in that match despite the injury and initially didn’t expect to be out of action long, but his recovery proved to be a complicated one and he needed to undergo ankle surgery.
“The Devil signed the clearance. Hell stamped its approval,” Matthews posted on Tuesday. “No more barriers. Only timing.”
Rhea Ripley, who is married to Matthews, noted a few months back that her husband was just starting to train in the ring again. The couple attended a Power Slap event last weekend where Jake Hager got knocked out by Mahabali Shera.
Though not cleared at the time, Matthews did make a surprise appearance for indie promotion World Series Wrestling in his home country of Australia in May. He’ll be wrestling on a five-show tour for World Series Wrestling in late October/early November.
When Matthews will be returning to AEW programming remains to be seen. At the time of his injury, Malakai Black had just left AEW and the other members of House of Black were moving forward without their leader.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.