AEW’s debut in Australia was an enormous hit for the corporate as Grand Slam Australia had quite a few memorable moments, in addition to being a financial success having the third largest gate in company history. Nonetheless, Buddy Matthews did not have an incredible night on home soil as he not only lost to Kazuchika Okada of their AEW Continental Championship match, but it surely has been confirmed by PWInsider he suffered an ankle injury in the course of the match.
Matthews himself has taken to social media (which has since been deleted) to verify that he actually injured his ankle during his entrance, jumping off the highest rope into the ring and landing awkwardly on account of the ring padding being uneven. His wife, WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley, was also in attendance for the show and took a photograph of herself and her husband after the show was over, with Matthews carrying a crutch to verify his injury. Matthews was scheduled to be away from the ring within the immediate future on account of being on his honeymoon with Ripley as two got married in June 2024, but now his absense could possibly be slightly longer depending on how severe his injury is.
2025 has seen a significant shift in Matthews’ profession because the leader of the House of Black, Malakai Black, has since left AEW, leaving Matthews, Brody King, and Julia Hart behind. Matthews and King have since continued because the Hounds of Hell tag team, and Hart was last seen feuding with former AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter, with all three stars being on the receiving end of promos by the likes of Will Ospreay, Cope, and Hayter saying that all of them have promising futures now that Black has left the corporate, and it is a matter of time before all of them have gold around their waists.
