AEW fans continue to patiently wait for the return of a top talent. After a lengthy hiatus, there was hope for a recent return, but that has not happened. Now, sources have provided an unfortunate update on the status of the 29-year-old.
Bandido has been out of action since June 14, 2023. The masked grappler lost the 15-minute main event to Konosuke Takeshita at the AEW Rampage tapings in Washington, DC, that night and reportedly suffered a broken wrist. After having surgery soon after, the former ROH World Champion suffered a setback in his recovery and was forced to undergo another operation late last year. There was some optimism that Bandido would be back in action before the beginning of 2024.
The Most Wanted was hopeful that he would be medically cleared to compete this summer. However, The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the 13-year veteran had an exam a few weeks back for a follow-up to the second surgery from late 2023, and doctors did not clear him.
Bandido is still hoping to be cleared for in-ring action this summer. He has another exam with doctors scheduled for the end of this month.
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Bandido made his All Elite debut on September 28, 2022, coming up short against then-ROH World Champion Chris Jericho on Dynamite. He signed with Tony Khan and had his second match in early November, which was a Rampage win over Rush. While working for AEW and ROH, Bandido has continued working for AAA, The Crash, and various indie promotions.
Lucha stars and more added to AEW Rampage updated lineup
Tonight's AEW Rampage will feature several big multi-man matches. The show was previously taped on Wednesday at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
All Elite Wrestling has announced a High Flying 4-Way for tonight's show. Below is the current lineup:
- Roderick Strong will be in action
- Thunder Rosa vs. Rachael Ellering
- Top Flight and Action Andretti vs. Shane Taylor Promotions
- High Flying 4-Way: Komander vs. Rey Fenix vs. AR Fox vs. Angelico
- Kings of The Black Throne vs. The Premier Athletes
Tonight's Rampage will be the 153rd episode. SK Wrestling recently took a look at where the stars from the premiere on August 13, 2021 are now. There are no preemptions this week as Rampage will air in its normal timeslot of 10pm on TNT.