AEW Injury List: Every Injured Wrestler (& When They're Set To Return)

Sadly, there are currently loads of wrestlers out injured across major companies like WWE and AEW.

The list of WWE injuries is ever-changing as workers recuperate then eventually return to TV, and the same goes for Tony Khan's All Elite product. Credit must go to both promotions for doing right by talent during an uncertain time mentally and physically - it won't exactly do wonders for anyone personally if they're stuck back at home watching everyone else rip it up on Dynamite, Collision and AEW pay-per-view, for example.

Of course, some injuries are worse than others, but they're all listed here. Consider this a go to guide for who's benched in AEW and ROH. It'll be updated as and when wrestlers go down mid-match, during training or even just through various illnesses that keep them out for any length of time. Sometimes, illness is even scarier than a mid-match muscle tear.

All of them are depressing for the talent involved though. They deserve everyone's full support as they rehab and/or go under the knife for surgery. Setbacks post-surgery can be a real threat to someone's career too, so that shouldn't be ignored either. Generally, everyone inside the biz and outside looking in hopes these men and women make a full recovery as soon as they can.

So, who's been posted missing on episodes of Dynamite and Collision lately? Also, how did they get injured in the first place and when can they be expected back (if there's a known timeline for return)? It's all here.

Will Ospreay (Back Injury)

At time of writing, AEW continues to nurse Will Ospreay back to health hoping he'll be able to play a major role come Forbidden Door 2025 on 24 August. That takes place in London, England, so the show has personal significance for Ospreay - he's also on the poster for the pay-per-view, so it'd be a shame to lose him.

Will revealed live inside the ring on a recent episode of Dynamite that he has herniated discs in his back that are impacting his spinal cord and general movement. He remains hopeful that he'll make a full recovery, but wrestling fans shouldn't expect to see too much of Ospreay in terms of matches until Forbidden Door at the earliest.

Returning: Imminently.

Adam Cole (Head Injury)

A tearful Adam Cole announced to the world live inside the ring at All In Texas on 12 July that he'd be stepping away from active wrestling for a while. "For a while" is vague, but Cole's head was all over the place in Arlington, and he reportedly contemplated announcing his full-blown retirement from the biz before "cooler heads prevailed" on the day.

Obviously, nobody wants to see that. People want to see a healthy Adam Cole giving his all and contributing, but his TNT Title reign was cut off by head injuries that remain fairly mysterious. Fingers crossed he's already on the mend, but any head-related trauma doesn't sound great.

Returning: TBC

Bryan Danielson (Neck Injury)

Cherished veteran Bryan Danielson told Fightful in December 2024 that he's "50/50" on being able to wrestle again. However, if the former WWE favourite doesn't recover from his neck woes, then he admits he'd be cool with waving goodbye to in-ring action. Danielson's full focus is on health and quality of life, and nobody can blame him for that.

His last AEW match came at WrestleDream in October last year. There, Bryan dropped the AEW Title to Jon Moxley. He's since been undergoing stem cell therapy in a bid to avoid major surgery. If, however, Danielson does have to go under the knife, then that's likely a wrap on his epic matches fans have come to know and love.

Best of luck to him.

Returning: TBC

Jay White (Undisclosed)

'Switchblade' Jay White was removed from AEW's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament on the 2 April 2025 episode of flagship show Dynamite. Earlier before the show, Fightful Select had reported that White was struck down with a mystery injury that'll force him to undergo surgery. Details on exactly what the injury is remain scarce.

On TV, AEW explained away White's absence by claiming he'd been attacked by the Death Riders. There's currently no timescale available on his return, but it unfortunately looks like Jay will be out of action for a while.

Returning: TBC

Orange Cassidy (Torn Pec)

Orange Cassidy's latest match was reportedly a painful one for him. He suffered a torn pec during his AEW International Title 'Eliminator' vs. Mark Davis, Ricochet and All Elite newcomer Mike Bailey on the 19 March edition of flagship show Dynamite. It's unclear at time of writing exactly how long Orange will be on the shelf, but it's best to be careful with something as serious as a torn pectoral muscle.

Sadly, it could be quite a while before fans see Cassidy doing his thing on Dynamite or Collision again.

Returning: TBC

PAC (Leg Injury)

Death Riders member PAC hasn't worked a lick between the ropes since injuring his ankle during a match vs. Swerve Strickland on the 9 April episode of Dynamite. In total, that bout went less than 5 minutes due to the injury, and there's no complete timescale on PAC's return to action as things stand.

Hopefully, he'll be able to keep playing a part in ongoing storylines involving his stablemates, but Tony Khan won't be able to rely on PAC's excellent high-flying or intense character work during actual matches for a while. Bummer!

Returning: TBC

Buddy Matthews (Ankle Injury)

Buddy's injury was a random one. AEW news revealed he rolled his ankle mid-entrance before tangling with Kazuchika Okada on All Elite's Grand Slam special in Australia on 15 February. Thankfully, Matthews still managed to jet off for his long-awaited honeymoon with WWE star Rhea Ripley.

He's on crutches, but might not actually miss too much time once he's back from a well-earned holiday. That's still up in the air though, because nobody knows for sure the extent of the damage just yet, or how much further Buddy injured his ankle by working a tough match vs. Okada.

Returning: TBC

Eddie Kingston (Torn ACL/Meniscus)

It's been a long road to recovery for 'Mad King' Eddie Kingston. He hasn't wrestled since May 2024, then Eddie went under for surgery on 8 July. A combined ACL and meniscus injury was made even more troublesome by the fact Kingston had to wait on a leg fracture to heal before going under the knife.

Early estimates had him down for a May 2025 return date, but that could change. Fingers crossed it doesn't and he's back doing his thing ASAP.

Returning: May 2025

Mark Davis (Broken Foot)

Wrestling Observer chief Dave Meltzer revealed that powerhouse Mark Davis suffered a fracture in his foot/ankle during a bout with Powerhouse Hobbs on the 26 March episode of AEW Dynamite. This was poor timing creatively; Davis had only been revealed as the latest member of the Don Callis Family on TV in early-February.

Meltzer did follow up by saying that Davis is likely to remain on TV in a non-wrestling role despite his injury. That's the silver lining on a rotten situation for the guy, but there's no word on when he'll be cleared to compete inside the ring again.

Returning: TBC

Keith Lee (Undisclosed)

The last few years have been a rough ride for celebrated big man Keith Lee. He hasn’t wrestled since beating Brian Cage on the 23 December 2023 Collision. Lee was supposed to work with Swerve Strickland at Worlds End 2023, but the match was pulled. Now, undisclosed injury and illness concerns mean he hasn’t been medically cleared at time of writing.

Keith has posted on social media to thank fans for their continued support. He's also reportedly been backstage at AEW shows once or twice to hang out and catch up with friends.

Returning: TBC

Killswitch (Double Pneumonia)

Reports came in late-last year that AEW star Killswitch had collapsed at home on 30 September 2024 and was rushed to hospital. Doctors quickly diagnosed him with double pneumonia, which is downright scary. Speaking of which, it was the wrestler's fiance who walked in and found him on the floor.

Early claims said he'd be good to go in around a month, but MSN reported he'd suffered setbacks and still hasn't returned to screens at time of writing. Naturally, it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to health and a proper scare like this.

Returning: TBC

Wardlow (Knee Injury)

Stop/start push victim Wardlow seemed to suffer his knee injury during a 31 January 2024 match vs. Komander on Dynamite, but the Undisputed Kingdom member soldiered on until April before tapping out to go rehab his knee. There's been little word since on exactly when he'll be back on Dynamite, Collision and more.

Fingers crossed the big guy is healthy and primed to get his AEW career back on track once he returns. He still has untapped potential.

Returning: TBC

Brian Cage (Torn Quad)

Brian Cage, like the true freak of nature and physical beast he is, has vowed to return earlier than expected from a torn quadricep layoff suffered in April. Nobody should bet against the man doing precisely that! Cage's last AEW match came on the 22 March edition of Collision (taped 19 March), but he did wrestle on an OVW card on 20 March too before dashing off to get surgery.

This particular 'Machine' is about to show his rapid powers of recovery like John Cena in his prime. Or, at least, that's what Bri has been telling people. Again, don't bet against him.

Returning: TBC

Riho (Fractured Arm)

First ever AEW Women's Champion Riho broke her arm during a match vs. Lady Frost on the 6 July 2024 episode of Collision. She hasn't been seen since, but did reportedly do some training in-ring before All Elite's World End pay-per-view in December. Then, Riho revealed via her official blog that she was close to returning but had Visa issues.

She won’t be able to return to the company until that’s all sorted out.

Returning: TBC

Colten Gunn (Knee Injury)

Billy Gunn's boy Colten needed immediate medical attention after hurting his knee during a Fatal-4-Way tag encounter on Collision in July. Colten was teaming with his brother Austin vs. CRU, Gates Of Agony and the team of Big Bill and Bryan Keith when he collapsed in pain and had to be worked on.

Gunn clutched his knee after working a routine-looking spot with Bill. It's unclear just how much time Colten will spend on the injured list.

Returning: TBC

The Blade (Back Injury)

The Blade has been out of action since February 2024. He needed back fusion surgery in September, so it’ll be a long time before the tag-team man is able to wrestle for AEW again. In a heartwarming upturn to the story, his real-life wife (ex-AEW star The Bunny) told fans during a fan signing event with RDP Promotions that Blade has been doing some stand up comedy between physical therapy sessions to keep himself busy.

Good on him for that. He's literally laughing through the pain!

Returning: TBC

Kiera Hogan (Shoulder Injury)

Former Jade Cargill "Baddie" and ROH worker Kiera Hogan went down with her injury in June 2024. Whilst it's hard to pinpoint an exact match, some believe Hogan actually suffered the injury during a bout vs. Ashley D'Amboise on the 9 May episode of Ring Of Honor before finally flagging it up the following month.

PWInsider Elite claimed in late-January she'd be back shortly, so there's a chance Tony Khan is simply waiting for the right time to reintroduce her on HonorClub.

Returning: Imminently