— Drainmaker (@TheDrainmaker) May 15, 2026

At World Series Wrestling’s “Rise Against” event on May 15, Matthews made a surprise appearance at the conclusion of Donovan Dijak’s WSW Australian Championship match, attacking the former WWE Superstar with a steel chair before giving him a Stomp for good measure. Matthews took to the microphone immediately after to state that he might not be cleared for action just yet, but he will be by the end of the year. 

“In case you’d forgotten, my name is Buddy Matthews, and I’m the guy who kicked down the door for every Australian to make it overseas. Now let’s get one thing straight, I might not be cleared now, but in October, I will be, and I might just take all the gold because hell’s frozen over, and you just can’t stop the unstoppable.”

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— Pro Wrestling (@RasslinVids) May 15, 2026

AEW officials were hoping that Matthews would have been ready for a return at the end of 2025 but that never materialized as his injury was more serious than what people had anticipated. Matthews himself stated that he suffered cartilage damage and a partial ligament tear, as well as suffering numbness and nerve issues as recently as December. Matthews was originally meant to continue teaming with Brody King as The Hounds of Hell following Malakai Black’s departure from the company, but in his absence, King has found a new partner in Bandido and even won the AEW World Tag Team Championships with him, while also having a successful singles run. Julia Hart has also branched away from the Hounds of Hell as she is now part of the Triangle of Madness with Thekla and Skye Blue.