Summary

Swerve Strickland praised Buddy Matthews and said he is looking forward to seeing him return healthy.

Matthews has been out since suffering an ankle injury at AEW Grand Slam Australia in February 2025.

The source text says Matthews underwent surgery in August and later said in December that he was still dealing with nerve issues and numbness.

Strickland also said he believes he and Matthews could do strong in-ring work together.

It remains unclear when Matthews will return.

Swerve Strickland's Buddy Matthews comments keep a future AEW matchup in play

Swerve Strickland publicly naming Buddy Matthews as someone he wants to face keeps a return program on the radar, and that consequence gives Matthews a clear high-level in-ring option if he is cleared.

With Strickland set to wrestle Brody King at Revolution, the timing also reconnects him to Matthews' side of the AEW landscape even before Matthews is back.

Quotes

Quote from Swerve Strickland

"I'm waiting for one of the best talents all-around in this business to come back, and hopefully, he's healthy and can do even better than he was before: Buddy Matthews. Shoutout to him. He's one of those guys that is a dawg in the ring. I think me and him could do some great work and Iook forward to seeing him back and doing his own thing. I think he has a lot of to offer in the wrestling world and I would like to see him back healthy again."

Sources

As reported by Fightful.