Mark Briscoe has been missing from AEW television for more than three months, and anyone hoping to see him back in the ring soon may be disappointed.
During the October 18 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer discussed Ilja Dragunov’s debut at AEW WrestleDream on October 17, 2026 and his upcoming appearance on Dynamite. While talking about Dragunov’s next match, Meltzer unexpectedly brought up Briscoe and revealed that he still wasn’t ready to compete.
“Yeah, we’ll see him Wednesday. And I know who he’ll be against. Mark Briscoe’s not ready yet.”
Meltzer didn’t explain exactly what’s keeping Briscoe out of action or give a timetable for his return. He also didn’t confirm that Briscoe had been planned as Dragunov’s opponent, although the comment came while discussing who Dragunov would face on Wednesday’s show.
Briscoe’s absence goes all the way back to July 1, when he last wrestled on AEW Dynamite against MJF for the AEW World Championship. Briscoe came up short in that match, just days after competing in the brutal Death’s Door steel cage match at Forbidden Door on June 28.
Things didn’t look good when AEW addressed his status on the July 2 episode of Collision. His Conglomeration teammates explained that Briscoe was injured and that there was no telling when fans would see him again. At first, there were questions about whether AEW was simply using an injury angle to write Briscoe off television. However, Bryan Alvarez confirmed on July 3 that Briscoe was dealing with a legitimate injury, although the exact nature of the problem wasn’t known.
“Not sure what the injury is, but Mark Briscoe injury is legit. All the best to him.”
This wasn’t even Briscoe’s first injury-related absence of 2026. He had previously been sidelined after his March 11 Dynamite match, where he teamed with The Young Bucks against FTR and Tommaso Ciampa. He eventually returned to AEW television on May 13 and immediately resumed his issues with Ciampa. That comeback didn’t last long before another setback took him out of action. His July 1 championship match against MJF remains his most recent documented match, meaning Briscoe has now spent over three months away from the ring.
For now, there’s still no confirmed return date, and Meltzer’s latest comments don’t offer much encouragement that Briscoe is about to make a comeback. AEW hasn’t publicly disclosed the specific injury keeping him out, either. Briscoe has already dealt with multiple interruptions to his AEW run this year, and this latest absence has turned into a lengthy one. The good news is that he’s still part of the company. The bad news is that, as of October 18, there’s no clear indication of when he’ll finally be able to wrestle again.
What do you think about Mark Briscoe’s continued absence from AEW? How should Tony Khan bring him back once he’s ready to compete again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
