Matt Sydal Is Finally Back: A 12-Year Foot Battle Ends With a SkyFlight Return on Collision

After more than two years away and a surgery that rebuilt three bones in his foot, Matt Sydal laced up for AEW again on the July 25 Collision, teaming with Dante Martin and Scorpio Sky in a wild trios battle against Lethal Twist.

Sydal Finally Gets Back in an AEW Ring

There is a particular kind of pop a crowd gives when a guy everybody assumed might be done for good comes walking back out under the lights, and that is exactly what Matt Sydal got on the July 25 Collision taping in Nashville. He slotted in alongside Dante Martin and Scorpio Sky as SkyFlight, taking on the trio of Jay Lethal, Blake Christian and Lee Johnson, known collectively as Lethal Twist, in a match built for nothing but chaos from bell to bell.

It did not end the way the Vegas faithful watching at home probably wanted. Ricochet showed up at ringside and got involved at exactly the wrong moment, and Lethal Twist capitalized when Johnson and Christian connected on a stomp and Death Valley Driver combination for the pin on Martin. A loss on paper, sure, but the story here was never really about the finish. It was about Sydal getting through a full six-man sprint on national television for the first time in over two years.

Twelve Years of Pain, One Shot at a Second Life

Sydal's road back started with a foot injury more than a decade ago that left him quietly grinding through foot pain for roughly twelve years, working around it match after match rather than dealing with it head on. Eventually the wear caught up to him, and after his last AEW appearance in May of 2024, a loss to Konosuke Takeshita, he stepped away to finally have the surgery he had been putting off.

That procedure was not minor. Doctors broke and re-fused three bones in his foot and added hardware to keep his toes stable, the kind of operation that ends careers as often as it saves them. Sydal has talked about it being the toughest recovery of his life, and by his own account he only made it through because he had people in his corner pushing him toward something bigger than where he left off.

The SkyFlight Trio Clicks Even in a Loss

Before he ever got back to a live AEW crowd, Sydal tested the foot on the independent scene, including a low-key match overseas against a legend of the business just to see if the body would hold up. It did, and that gave him the confidence to accept Christopher Daniels' backstage invite in June to officially join forces with Scorpio Sky and Dante Martin under the SkyFlight banner.

On paper it is an easy trio to like. Martin brings pure aerial speed, Sky brings polish and veteran timing, and Sydal slots in as the guy who has seen every kind of match this business has to offer. Early in the Collision bout the three of them synced up for stereo dropkicks and dual dives to the floor that had the building buzzing, proof that the chemistry is there even if the scoreboard did not go their way this time.

What It Means Heading Into the Next TV Cycle

Lethal Twist walking out of Nashville with the win, thanks in part to Ricochet sticking his nose in where it did not belong, keeps that group rolling with momentum right as AEW pivots out of its Redemption pay-per-view weekend and back into the weekly grind. Expect a rematch or a continuation of this six-man program to show up again soon, especially with Ricochet's motives still unexplained.

For Sydal personally, simply getting through a full match clean is the real headline. A guy who once looked like he might be finished after chasing that foot injury around for over a decade instead has more than a hundred AEW appearances to his name since his 2020 debut and, as of this week, a fresh start with a trio that fans are already buzzing about.

Why This Comeback Story Hits Home in Vegas

We talk a lot at Piledrive Wrestling about guys grinding through pain to stay in the ring, and Sydal's story is about as real as it gets. Twelve years of pushing through an injury before finally getting it fixed properly is the same grit our local independent scene runs on every single weekend, just without the HBO Max cameras.

If a story like this gets you fired up about what it actually takes to get back between the ropes, come feel it for yourself. Swing by one of our upcoming shows here in Vegas, or better yet, step onto the mats and train with us. There is no better way to appreciate a comeback like Sydal's than to understand firsthand what the body goes through to make one happen.

Who's Who in the SkyFlight vs. Lethal Twist Feud

Six names collided in Nashville, plus one uninvited guest. Here is the lineup you need to know before this program runs it back.

1. Matt Sydal: Making his first AEW in-ring appearance in over two years after foot surgery, wrestling as part of SkyFlight.
2. Dante Martin: Took the pin for his team but showed off the high-flying speed that makes him a natural fit alongside Sydal.
3. Scorpio Sky: The veteran anchor of SkyFlight, bringing polish to a trio built around timing and teamwork.
4. Jay Lethal: Leader of Lethal Twist and one of the more experienced hands on the Collision roster.
5. Blake Christian: Connected on the finishing combination that sealed the win for Lethal Twist.
6. Lee Johnson: Paired with Christian for the stomp and Death Valley Driver combo that put Martin away.
7. Ricochet: Showed up at ringside uninvited and tipped the match in Lethal Twist's favor.
8. Christopher Daniels: The AEW veteran who reportedly helped broker Sydal joining SkyFlight backstage back in June.

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