Buddy Matthews is officially cleared to wrestle again. After more than a year of injuries, surgery, and frustrating setbacks, the AEW star says the wait is finally over.
Matthews confirmed the news himself on Instagram, sharing a cryptic message that made it clear his long road to recovery has finally come to an end as she’s been cleared.
“The Devil signed the clearance. Hell stamped its approval. No more barriers. Only timing.”
Back in December 2025, Matthews revealed that lingering nerve damage and numbness had slowed his rehabilitation, making it unclear when he would be able to return to the ring. More recently, he showed himself training again and hinted that a comeback was getting close, writing that he had “worked through the setbacks” and that his comeback would “speak for itself.“
Now, the wait is officially over. Matthews originally suffered the injury during his entrance at AEW Grand Slam: Australia in February 2025 before later undergoing surgery after attempting to wrestle through the damage. Although he made a surprise appearance at World Series Wrestling’s Rise Against event earlier this month, he admitted at the time that he still hadn’t received full medical clearance.
That has now changed. With Matthews officially cleared, he’s expected to return to action during World Series Wrestling’s October and November tour across Australia and New Zealand. After 14 frustrating months of rehab, setbacks and waiting, Buddy Matthews has finally cleared the last hurdle. Now it’s just a matter of when—and where—he wrestles next.
Are you excited to see Buddy Matthews back in the ring? Let us know who you’d like to see him face first in the comments below.
