Disappointing Update On AEW’s Buddy Matthews

Written by Aditya Rao • Published Jun 23, 2025 09:46 EDT
AEW's Buddy Matthews Reflects On Paving The Way For International Stars In The U.S.

AEW’s Buddy Matthews shares a disheartening update about his injury.

Fans have long been calling for a singles push for Matthews since he arrived in AEW. The Australian star looked set for a breakout moment when he was scheduled for a match against Kazuchika Okada for the Continental Championship at Grand Slam Australia.

Unfortunately, that momentum was cut short due to an in-ring injury he sustained at the start of the match when Matthews injured his ankle due to a bad landing during his entrance. He, however, continued with the match, despite the setback.

Speaking about it in April, Buddy stated that he had not broken his ankle but had a partial ligament tear and cartilage damage and was looking at getting back into action as soon as possible. This, however, was not the case.

AEW’s Buddy Matthews’ Ankle Is Not Recovering As Well As I Thought It Would Be

There has been no update from Matthews’ side since April, though the AEW star has shared snippets of him working out, which gave fans a glimmer of hope that he would be making a return soon.

However, it seems like fans will have to wait longer for a return, as an excerpt from his Instagram Live revealed that Buddy has no motion in his ankles currently, and the injury is probably becoming chronic.

“The ankle is not recovering as well as I thought it would be. There’s no mobility to it; if I can’t have mobility, I can’t move properly. Once it hits 3 months without healing, it becomes chronic… I thought I’d be back in the ring in April.”

The injury turning chronic is legitimately concerning for Matthews, given his wrestling style.

This is unfortunate news for all his fans who were looking forward to a push for the star. We at ITR Wrestling wish Buddy Matthews a speedy recovery.