For the first time in over a year, AEW star Buddy Matthews has been announced for a professional wrestling event.
Matthews will appear as part of a five-event tour hosted by independent Australian promotion World Series Wrestling this fall, they announced today. The tour begins with an October 29 show in Auckland, New Zealand, before four dates across Australia.
ITS OFFICIAL … @snm_buddy shocked the wrestling world when he appeared at our #riseagainst tour. Buddy Matthews is BACK this October and November and he is coming for all of the gold! 🇦🇺 🇳🇿
🎟️ – https://t.co/UXYyWNU3RH#wsw #megamania #australia #newzealand #wsw2026 pic.twitter.com/dBFOWPRWr9
— WorldSeriesWrestling (@WSWWrestlingAUS) May 26, 2026
Fans haven’t seen Matthews wrestle a proper match since AEW’s Grand Slam: Australia card in February 2025, when he suffered an ankle injury which has kept him on the sidelines ever since.
Matthews re-emerged earlier this year at a World Series Wrestling event. While involved in an angle at the show, he made it clear that he wasn’t cleared to wrestle yet and was hoping to make his return later this year.
Matthews previously teased going after WSW’s Australian Championship. Promotional material for the upcoming tour says that he is “coming for all the gold.”
