AEW star Buddy Matthews has looked back on his match at Grand Slam that saw him suffer an ankle injury before the bell rang.
Returning to his home country of Australia for AEW’s first international Grand Slam, Matthews challenged Kazuchika Okada for the Continental Championship. However, as seen via fan footage, the former Trios Champion landed badly on his ankle while making his entrance. Still able to compete in the match, Matthews lost to The Rainmaker in Australia.
As seen on social media posts afterwards, the AEW star was seen in a walking boot, confirming that he damaged his foot. Additionally, Matthews was spotted on crutches while on his honeymoon with his wife Rhea Ripley.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Matthews first provided an update on his injury, adding that he managed to escape any broken bones:
“It’s okay. Rolled it pretty bad. Had an X ray, MRI. There was no break, but there was partial ligament tear and cartilage damage. [I’m] Walking. I haven’t ran, I haven’t jumped, I’ve just started implementing cardio, but then it kind of stiffens up. We’re working through it, but the docs were telling me I’ve never seen an ankle roll that much under someone without completely destroying, smashing, disintegrating the bones. So I didn’t break a bone, which was incredible, but then I had to wrestle 15 minutes after it.”
Recounting the night of the injury, the AEW star knew that something was wrong when making his entrance, noting how this was the first one that affected him mentally as well as physically:
“So as soon as I rolled, jumped off, and it went, you actually see me go f*ck. Then I go sit in my corner, I’m watching Okada, and then I could just feel my boot tightening up and I’m like, oh. Obviously I don’t know how bad it is. So I’m wrestling, and that was the first time. I’ve shattered my jaw in a wrestling match, I’ve had injuries before, but that was the first time in the ring that it got to me in the head.
I remember doing the thing at the start, and then it started to really sink in, the pain. Then I remember Okada comes up to me and grabs me to whip me to the corner, rather than just going and listening and being in the moment I’m like, can I get there? So then when I got there, I’m like I made it what’s next? Then he just runs and just hits with this elbow. Now I’m two steps behind, because I’m just worried about whether I can even do it. Somehow I did, and we got through it, and pretty happy with how it came out, considering how hindered I was.”
Matthews also spoke about how the medical team were surprised that the ligament remained on the bone along with technically not breaking his promise to Rhea Ripley:
“I don’t remember [if we cut anything out of the match]. I did a step-up rana, and I was running somehow. Because I remember the doc afterwards. They had some trainer who did some soccer or rugby over there, who was in Australia when I did it. They were pulling on it, and you could kind of tell that they were like, yeah, I think you’ve ripped the ligament off the bone and pulled bone off. When I wiggled it, when we did the test, he was like it’s going to fall off.”
“I partially tore the ligaments, it didn’t even completely rupture it. So when he redid it, he was like oh God. When I touched that last time, it was like it’s gonna fall off.
I went on my honeymoon afterwards, the next day. I was miserable, and I’m not letting it get me down. She goes, ‘Do not get injured in that match.’ I go, ‘Well technically, I didn’t get injured in the match, it’s before the bell.’ Then we spent a week in the Gold Coast, and I wasn’t letting her win. She wasn’t going to be able to throw that in my face and go, ‘Remember our honeymoon? You couldn’t walk?’ Well, I was hobbling around.”
When Will Buddy Matthews Return?
Ending the recollection on a more positive note, Matthews stated that he hopes to be back in the ring within the next few weeks:
“I’m hoping sooner rather than later. I’m obviously gonna have to get in the ring and suss it out and get back in ring shape. But I’m hoping in the next couple of weeks, fingers crossed.”
If you use any quotes from this article please credit the source with a h/t to ITR Wrestling.