Matt Menard has confirmed the nature of his injury sustained at AEW Blood & Guts during the match between the Jericho Appreciation Society and the Blackpool Combat Club.
The two factions battled each other in a rematch from their Anarchy in the Arena contest at AEW Double or Nothing. Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli replaced Santana and Bryan Danielson respectively. The match concluded on top of the cage when Eddie Kingston and Castagnoli held Chris Jericho and Menard in submissions each. Menard tapped first to give Castagnoli the win.
In a video posted by JOFO in the Ring, Menard revealed that he tore parts of his shoulder, labrum, and rotator cuff during the match. On a positive note, he would go on further to say he doesn't need surgery and will rehab the injuries.
"June 29, Detroit, Michigan, Blood & Guts, big cage match. Two rings. Hell of an ordeal. Very early on in that match, I kind of get dumped on my head by Santana. It wasn't pretty... The good news here, is that it doesn't look like it's going to require surgery. We're rehabbing it, injected some stem cells into the shoulder. The bad news is I will not be able to participate in the event for the IWS" (H/T Fightful)
Menard has still appeared on AEW programming as part of the JAS. The faction's leader Chris Jericho will challenge for Jon Moxley's world title next week on Dynamite in the latest chapter of the JAS vs BCC feud.
Matt Menard said before that Chris Jericho opened the doors for him in AEW
Submitting first at Blood & Guts meant that Menard had saved Chris Jericho the burden of defeat at the event. This robbed Kingston of a moment he had worked for, for so long. He'll be glad in taking the hit for Jericho, as he has already spoke about the leg-up Le Champion provided him when he needed it most.
"Let's talk about Chris Jericho. Remember last July 2021...Who was there for us? Who extended their hand? Who invited me into his home? Chris Jericho...Gave us an opportunity. Opened the doors to AEW and I will never forget it." (H/T Fightful)
The former WWE Superstar joined Chris Jericho to form the JAS on the post-Revolution episode of Dynamite. They stood together alongside Daniel Garcia, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Angelo Parker, Tay Conti and Anna Jay.
Will you miss Matt Menard in the ring? Will Chris Jericho defeat Jon Moxley for the title next week? Let us know below.