Absent AEW star set to return in May - Reports

An AEW star, absent from the Jacksonville-based company since June 2023, will reportedly return after six more months. The star in question is Bandido.

The 28-year-old wrestled Konosuke Takeshita during the June 14, 2023, edition of Rampage. Bandido lost to the Alpha, and it was later revealed that he suffered a wrist injury during the contest.

The company was expecting the luchador to return to in-ring competition by the end of the year. However, Bandido had to undergo a second wrist surgery recently due to added complications. He recently took to social media to announce his second surgery was successful.

In the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Bandido's second wrist surgery took place on December 16, and he is expected to return by May 2024. The report said:

"Bandido had his second wrist surgery on 12/16. As noted previously, his left wrist didn’t heal properly from the first surgery. He had considered not having surgery but then he would be working the rest of his career on a messed up wrist. The timeline for a return we were told is probably May but hopeful for April." [H/t WrestleTalk]

Konosuke Takeshita reveals why he chose to join AEW over WWE

Takeshita is a Japanese professional wrestler who rose to fame through his work in DDT Pro-Wrestling and is considered to be one of the hottest rising stars in the business.

The Alpha has appeared in All Elite Wrestling since 2021 and signed a contract with the Jacksonville-based company in November 2022. During an interview with DDT Pro Wrestling, Konosuke Takeshita revealed the reason behind choosing AEW over WWE.

"So the choice was WWE or AEW. At that time, there were not that many main male wrestlers in AEW, and moreover, there were no Japanese who wore the singles belt, except for women. I wanted to do something that no one else was doing. At that point, I wasn’t sure if AEW would become as huge as it is now, but it was still a choice I made. Then, over the next year or so, the number of wrestlers steadily increased, and I don’t think I would have had a chance if I had waited another year," Takeshita [H/T POST Wrestling]

The 28-year-old is currently a part of the Don Callis Family and recently teamed with Powerhouse Hobbs to defeat Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal in a tag team match on the December 6 edition of Rampage.