During AEW Grand Slam Australia in February, local fans were excited to see their countryman, Buddy Matthews, challenge Kazuchika Okada for the AEW Continental Championship. However, while the match did deliver on the night, it was overshadowed by the fact that Matthews landed badly on his ankle while entering the ring, suffering a partial ligament tear and cartilage damage.
And now, two months after telling Chris Van Vliet he was “about 85% ready,” the former WWE wrestler has unfortunately disclosed to his followers on Instagram Live that his ankle isn’t recovering as he thought, and he currently has no mobility. What this means for his career long-term remains unclear, although his fans are already starting to worry.
36-year-old Matthews broke into the wrestling business in 2007, and after six years on the Australian independent scene, he achieved his dream of signing with WWE, going on to be assigned to NXT. From there, he formed a successful tag team with Wesley Blake, although his most memorable run in the company came on the main roster when he became a disciple of Seth Rollins during his Monday Night Messiah run.
