Luchasaurus is finally explaining what really happened with the shoulder injury that took him out of action, and the story involves the New York Knicks, a long night, a flight, and a last-minute battle royal spot.
While speaking to Chris Jericho on Talk Is Jericho, Luchasaurus opened up about the injury that sidelined him after the December 17, 2025 episode of AEW Dynamite. He explained that he originally thought he might be doing a Santa Claus-related appearance at AEW Dynamite Holiday Bash, but things changed once he arrived.
Luchasaurus said he had been celebrating the Knicks winning the NBA Cup on December 16, which led to him drinking on the plane and not sleeping before AEW asked him to compete.
“I was supposed to go maybe do a Santa Claus thing (at AEW Dynamite Holiday Bash), but you have to be ready to wrestle. When I got too excited because the Knicks won the (NBA) Cup, I was drinking on the plane and up all night. I didn’t sleep. They finally won something! I waited 40 years for this. We get there and Tony (Khan) is like, do you want to be in this battle royal? I’m not going to say no to the boss, who just flew me out here. ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ It was a fun spot with Shelton Benjamin, he threw Ricochet to me and I caught him in a chokeslam. Somehow, my shoulder went ‘pop, pop.’ I had a partial tear when I wrestled [Jack] in 2022, that’s how dangerous he is [sarcasm], because when he works his friends, they tell you to hit the big guys as hard as you can,” he said.
The match in question was the Dynamite Diamond Ring 2025 Battle Royal on the December 17 episode of AEW Dynamite. Luchasaurus said the issue happened during a spot involving Shelton Benjamin and Ricochet, where he caught Ricochet for a chokeslam and immediately felt his shoulder go.
Jack Perry, who was also on the podcast, noted that his mentor once told him to always lay it in when working with bigger wrestlers. Luchasaurus then explained that the injury was not completely new, because he had already been dealing with a partial rotator cuff tear from his 2022 program with Perry.
Luchasaurus said he tried to manage the injury for years with treatment, but eventually both shoulders gave out. He also revealed that he had surgery on the first shoulder in February and is trying to speed up the recovery process so he can return sooner.
“I partially tore the rotator cuff and worked through it. We did a PRP injection and band-aided it for a while. Four years (later), they both went. It happened. I got the first one done in February. The surgeon wanted to wait six months, but we’re trying to do a faster timeline because we want to get back. I’m going to do the next one three months after, which is a little scary, but I want to get back as soon as I can. I wanted to do them both at the same time, but as soon as I got one done, I realized it would have been insane. It would have been a disaster,” he said.
Luchasaurus has not returned to in-ring action yet, but he did appear during the Zero Hour pre-show for AEW Revolution on March 15, 2026. During the 21-man Blackjack Battle Royal for the AEW National Championship, the broadcast cut backstage to show a bus pulling up outside the arena, with Luchasaurus revealed as the driver.
He was shown dropping off Jack Perry at the building before Perry entered the Battle Royal. While the cameo confirmed Luchasaurus is still connected to AEW television, he did not get physical during the segment.
For now, there is still no official word on when Luchasaurus will be medically cleared to wrestle again. Still, his comments on Talk Is Jericho give a much clearer picture of how the injury happened, how long he had been dealing with shoulder problems, and why his full return may still take time.
What do you think about Luchasaurus revealing how his AEW shoulder injury happened? Do you want to see him return alongside Jack Perry when he is cleared? Let us know your thoughts and leave your feedback in the comments.
