AEW's Buddy Matthews announced on August 6 that he has been medically cleared to compete again, bringing a lengthy injury absence to an end. Matthews shared a video on Instagram documenting the final stage of his rehabilitation and confirmed that he has been given the green light to wrestle.
Matthews had been sidelined since February 15, 2025, when he was hurt during his AEW Continental Championship match against Kazuchika Okada at Grand Slam: Australia. His recovery involved surgery, nerve damage and numbness, and an extended rehab process. The clearance also arrives ahead of schedule; during an appearance in May he had estimated that full medical clearance would not come until around October.
No return date has been announced. Elsewhere across wrestling, WWE presents SmackDown from Philadelphia tonight, while TNA has booked Nic Nemeth to defend the World Championship against Jeff Hardy on next week's episode of Impact.