Dustin Rhodes: I’m not cleared to wrestle yet but ‘very close’

Photo Courtesy: All Elite Wrestling

Dustin Rhodes feels an in-ring return is nearing.

The former WWE talent and current AEW star has been out of the ring for nearly a year due to injury. His last match, a Chicago Street Fight for the TNT Championship against Kyle Fletcher last July, saw him blow out both of his knees in the process.

Because of the injuries sustained in the match, Rhodes underwent a double knee replacement last summer, a surgery which was sure to put the 57-year-old on the sidelines for some time.

Rhodes hopes that he can soon return to the ring, he revealed during a recent interview on What Happened When with Tony Schiavone. While not cleared to compete, Rhodes believes he’s close to achieving that status.

“It was a hard couple of months,” Rhodes said about his rehabilitation process. “The first two months were pretty bad. My wife was waiting on me on hand and foot. But they wanted you walking, so I did as much walking as possible. Been back to work a little bit for coaching. Not quite cleared yet, but I think we’re very close. I can’t wait to see what I can do for the next year and a half, two years before I retire.”

What will that retirement match look like for Rhodes? He has an idea, he explained, but said he’s “Keeping it really close to the vest.”

About Jack Wannan 1737 Articles
Jack Wannan is a journalist from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He writes and reports on professional wrestling, along with other topics like MMA, boxing, music, local news, and more. He graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He can be reached at [email protected]