Matt Cardona has delivered an encouraging update on his recovery from a torn triceps, making clear that his focus remains fixed on an eventual WWE return even though he has not yet been cleared for in-ring action.
Cardona shared a mirror photo of himself flexing his arm as he marked the two-month point since undergoing surgery. The post offered a snapshot of both his current physical progress and his mindset through a rehabilitation process that has kept him away from the ring since August.
“In my head, I’m ALMOST ready,” Cardona wrote. “I don’t know when I’ll be cleared to return to the ring, but I do know that I’M NOT FINISHED!”
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The message is the clearest indication that Cardona feels he is moving in the right direction, but it also establishes an important distinction: feeling close and receiving medical clearance are not the same thing. He did not announce a return date, a targeted WWE event, or a timetable for resuming matches. For now, the status remains that Cardona is in rehab and working toward the point where he can safely return.
For more background on this topic, read John Cena Meets Cookie Monster in Sesame Street Cookie-Eating Showdown.
Two months removed from surgery
Cardona’s update came two months after the operation required to address the triceps injury. In addition to attending rehab, he said he has been finding ways to continue training in the gym while working around the injured area. That approach has allowed him to maintain a workout routine during a period when his regular in-ring preparation has necessarily been put on hold.
The image he posted showed him flexing his triceps, an understandably meaningful visual milestone after an injury involving that exact muscle and tendon area. Cardona’s wording, however, was measured. He expressed confidence in his progress without claiming that his recovery is complete or suggesting that he has received clearance to take bumps, wrestle, or return to WWE television.
That uncertainty is significant because Cardona’s injury occurred during a stretch that was supposed to represent a notable chapter in his WWE comeback. Having returned to the company as part of the Last Time is Now tournament, he was competing for an opportunity to face John Cena in Cena’s final match. Cardona was then officially announced as a member of the SmackDown roster in January, placing him back within WWE’s main roster picture.
An extended absence interrupted that momentum. Still, Cardona’s declaration that he is not finished makes his intent unmistakable: this is being treated as a setback in his current run rather than an endpoint.
How the injury happened
Cardona previously detailed the circumstances surrounding the torn triceps after the injury was confirmed. The issue came to light following a match against Kit Wilson on WWE Main Event, which was filmed on August 21.
In Cardona’s account, he was already dealing with the effects of a prior match by the time he wrestled Wilson. Early in the Main Event bout, Cardona attempted a second-rope dropkick, landed on his elbow, and heard what he described as a “pop.” He said the incident occurred within the first minute of the match.
An MRI the next day confirmed that he had torn his triceps. Cardona subsequently underwent surgery, beginning the recovery process he is now documenting through his social media update.
While the Wilson match was the moment when the injury was identified and medically confirmed, Cardona had raised the possibility that the damage may have originated one week earlier. He pointed to his August 14 encounter with GUNTHER on WWE SmackDown as a potential source of the problem.
The GUNTHER match preceded the setback
Cardona’s match with GUNTHER came together in an impromptu fashion after the “Ring General” confronted Cardona’s real-life wife, WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green, during a promo segment. The confrontation brought Cardona into the situation and led directly to the match.
GUNTHER defeated Cardona in a little more than six minutes. Although Cardona did not state definitively that the triceps tear occurred that night, he said it could have happened during that SmackDown match. By the time he faced Wilson on the August 21 taping of Main Event, he described himself as already banged up from the GUNTHER bout.
The sequence leaves some understandable uncertainty around the exact onset of the injury. What is known is that Cardona wrestled GUNTHER on August 14, competed against Wilson a week later, felt a pop after landing on his elbow during the latter match, and received MRI confirmation the following day. The injury then required surgery.
For an athlete whose presentation has long centered on visible intensity, strength, and a willingness to stay active, the recovery has presented a different kind of challenge. Cardona’s latest comments show that he has remained engaged with training to the degree his condition allows, while accepting that the final decision on his ring return rests on clearance rather than personal readiness alone.
No return date, but a clear objective
Cardona did not offer a projected timeframe for his next WWE appearance. His statement that he does not know when he will be cleared makes that point explicit. There is no announced opponent, no confirmed show for his return, and no indication that WWE has set a date for him to resume competing.
That does not lessen the importance of the update. Recovery announcements in wrestling often become part of the story when a performer can communicate forward momentum without overpromising. Cardona did precisely that. He acknowledged the continued medical process, noted the adjustments he has made in the gym, and stated plainly that he sees himself as nearing the next stage of recovery.
The emphasis on being “ALMOST ready” is naturally likely to create interest in when Cardona may be able to rejoin the SmackDown roster. Yet his own post stops short of setting expectations beyond his determination to return. Until he is cleared, the responsible reading is that he remains unavailable for an in-ring comeback.
Cardona’s WWE return had already carried a sense of unfinished business before the injury. His involvement in the Last Time is Now tournament connected him to the pursuit of a high-profile match with Cena, and his placement on SmackDown brought him back to the brand where the GUNTHER confrontation unfolded. The torn triceps put an abrupt pause on that run, but it has not changed his stated ambition.
Cardona’s message keeps the focus on the comeback
In the short term, Cardona’s road remains centered on rehabilitation. He is continuing to work out around the injury, attending rehab, and awaiting the clearance necessary to resume wrestling. Those are the only firm details he has provided about the next phase of his return.
In the larger picture, his post was a statement of resolve. The capitalized conclusion — “I’M NOT FINISHED!” — leaves no doubt about the message Cardona wanted to send to fans and to the WWE audience awaiting his next appearance.
There are still questions to be answered, most notably when his medical team will determine that he can return to the ring and what direction awaits him once that happens. His progress photo does not answer those questions, nor does it attempt to. Instead, it marks a recovery milestone and signals that Cardona believes he is getting closer.
For now, that is where matters stand: two months after surgery, Matt Cardona is continuing rehab, adapting his gym work, and refusing to regard the triceps injury as the final word on his WWE run. He may not have a date to share, but he has made his position clear. Cardona intends to come back.
In pictures
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.