Buddy Matthews is grappling with a significant Buddy Matthews ankle injury recovery setback, revealing he is now facing a chronic condition as his recovery faces unexpected delays. On Instagram Live, he disclosed he has fallen two months behind in his rehabilitation schedule, raising urgent concerns about his return to wrestling.
Updates on Matthews’ Lingering Ankle Problem
The injury originally occurred during AEW Grand Slam Australia in February 2025, when Buddy Matthews rolled his ankle while making his entrance by jumping from the turnbuckle. Although he competed in the AEW Continental Title match against Kazuchika Okada soon after, he was visibly struggling backstage following the contest. Matthews, widely recognized as a former AEW World Trios Champion, initially believed he could recover quickly enough to get back in the ring by April.
Providing context on the ongoing issues, Matthews publicly addressed his fans about the prolonged healing process:
“The ankle is not recovering as well as I thought it would be. There’s no mobility to it, if I can’t have mobility, I can’t move properly. Once it hits three months without healing, it becomes chronic… I thought I’d be back in the ring in April,”
—Matthews, AEW wrestler
Severity of Injury and Medical Insights
After thorough medical checkups, Matthews confirmed he did not break his ankle but suffered both ligament and cartilage damage. He discussed how the injury has affected his daily routines and wrestling schedule during an appearance with Chris Van Vliet on Insight. His ankle continues to stiffen up, forcing him to scale back intense training and cardio activities.
“It’s okay. Rolled it pretty bad. Had an X ray, MRI. There was no break, but there was partial ligament tear and cartilage damage. [I’m] Walking. I haven’t ran, I haven’t jumped, I’ve just started implementing cardio, but then it kind of stiffens up. And, you know, we’re working through it, but the docs were telling me I’ve never seen an ankle roll that much under someone without completely destroying, smashing, disintegrating the bones. So I didn’t break a bone, which was incredible, but then I had to wrestle 15 minutes after it,”
—Matthews, AEW wrestler
Potential Impact on Matthews’ Future
This ongoing Buddy Matthews ankle injury recovery setback is casting doubt over his short-term wrestling prospects. With the condition now labeled as chronic after exceeding the expected recovery window, there is increasing uncertainty about when, or if, he will return to full competition. Fans and the AEW community are closely watching how this development will affect both Matthews’ role and broader wrestling storylines, hoping for eventual improvement as medical teams reassess his options.
