Matt Cardona’s comeback just took another brutal hit — because the former WWE star is now going under the knife.
Cardona indicated on Instagram on August 25, 2026 that he was undergoing surgery for the torn triceps he suffered just days earlier. He posted a photo from a hospital bed to his Instagram Stories while hooked up to medical equipment and dressed for a procedure. That’s a major development after there was initially some hope Cardona might be able to avoid surgery and return sooner.
Cardona revealed on August 23 that he tore his triceps during a match two nights earlier. While he didn’t identify the exact bout, he wrestled Kit Wilson during the August 21 WWE Main Event taping, which lines up with the timeline he provided. He was still in the gym training legs after the injury, but the damaged arm was visibly swollen.
Surgery also means Cardona could now be staring at a much longer road back. A torn triceps requiring an operation can keep a wrestler out for several months, with an absence around eight months previously considered possible depending on the severity of the injury and recovery process.
The timing couldn’t be much worse. Cardona had recently worked his way back into WWE, including a match against GUNTHER on the August 14 episode of SmackDown. That appearance had fans wondering whether WWE had bigger plans for him after years away from the company. Now all of that has to wait.
Even once Cardona is medically cleared, there’s no guarantee WWE will immediately have a creative spot waiting for him, meaning the injury could keep him away from television even longer than the physical recovery itself.
For now, the biggest question surrounding Cardona is no longer whether he’ll need surgery. His hospital post makes it clear that the recovery process has moved into a much more serious stage. Cardona fought his way back into the WWE picture, only for a torn triceps to slam the brakes on everything. Now the wait begins to see just how long he’ll be gone.
How do you think Matt Cardona’s injury will affect his WWE comeback plans? Do you think WWE should bring him straight back into the mix once he’s cleared? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
