AEW: Matt Sydal remains under contract, recovering from ankle surgery

Matt Sydal, the veteran high-flyer who has competed under the ring name Evan Bourne in WWE, has not appeared on All Elite Wrestling television since May 2024, and a company representative confirmed he remains under contract while recovering from surgery. Sydal’s most recent in-ring appearance came in July at an independent wrestling festival in Béziers, France, where he lost to Ultimo Dragon, and his last match for AEW was a May Dynamite loss to Konosuke Takeshita.

AEW said Sydal underwent ankle surgery last year to address a long-standing issue he had needed to correct for more than a decade. The procedure is the primary reason for his absence from the promotion’s televised programming, officials said, but no timetable for his return has been announced. After the July independent appearance, Sydal has not been booked on AEW television or pay-per-view cards.

Sydal first joined AEW in November 2020 after debuting as a surprise entrant in the Casino Battle Royale at the All Out pay-per-view. Over nearly five years with the promotion, he has worked on weekly television shows including Dynamite and Rampage, as well as AEW’s streaming programs, and has faced many of the company’s...