Buddy Matthews may be dealing with an ankle injury sustained during AEW Grand Slam: Australia, where he faced Kazuchika Okada for the AEW Continental Championship.
During his entrance, Matthews appeared to hurt his ankle while entering the ring. Despite the apparent injury, the match continued as planned, with Okada successfully retaining his title.
Following the event, Matthews vented his frustrations on Twitter/X, blaming the ring size for his injury and the match outcome:
“So thoughts after #AEWGrandSlamAustralia – If it wasn’t a 16×16 SH*T wrestling ring! 1: Wouldn’t have destroyed my ankle on my entrance due to holes in the padding. 2: Okada wouldn’t have been able to put his foot on the rope & I’d be champion. Sh*t happens…”
Matthews later deleted the tweet but also posted a troll emoji, seemingly adding sarcasm to his remarks.
Adding to speculation, his wife, WWE star Rhea Ripley, shared photos from their honeymoon on social media. One image showed Matthews using a crutch, while others showed him without it. Ripley captioned the post with a playful reference to his injury:
“Ain’t no Roly-Poly ankles gonna keep us down! Let the honeymoon commence!”
The controversy around AEW’s ring size continued as QT Marshall, AEW’s Vice President of Show and Creative Coordination, responded to discussions about the smaller 18-foot ring, stating that it is standard in certain markets and has been used by promotions like TNA and ROH.
While the full extent of Matthews’ injury remains unclear, his frustrations highlight ongoing concerns about the use of smaller rings in international AEW events. We wish him a speedy recovery.
