AEW veteran and wrestling icon Dustin Rhodes has provided a major update on his health following the injury sustained during last week’s AEW Collision.
In a heartfelt post on social media, “The Natural” confirmed that he will undergo double knee replacement surgery later this month, a serious procedure that will sideline the 56-year-old star for the foreseeable future.
Taking to his official X account on Tuesday, Rhodes revealed the extent of the damage and clarified that the upcoming surgery is not career-ending: “Knees are both destroyed. I have to go under the knife August 21st,” Rhodes wrote. “They can’t actually fix the damage so we are getting 2 knee replacements. Damn! #KeepSteppin By the way…….This Is NOT THE END.”
Rhodes’ message quickly drew support from fans and fellow wrestlers across the industry, many praising his resilience and dedication to the craft even after decades in the business.
Knees are both destroyed. I have to go under the knife August 21st. They can't actually fix the damage so we are getting 2 knee Replacements. Damn! #KeepSteppin
By the way…….This Is NOT THE END pic.twitter.com/TyhbZHXRBT
— Dustin Rhodes (@dustinrhodes) August 5, 2025
The injury occurred during the brutal July 31st Collision main event in Chicago, where Rhodes challenged Kyle Fletcher for the TNT Championship in a no-holds-barred Street Fight. The match ended with Rhodes taking a hard loss and visibly struggling to walk after the final bell.
Shortly after the match aired, Rhodes had posted that he would be “out for a while” and confirmed he was preparing for “a very invasive major surgery,” firmly stating that the injury “was not a work.”
Rhodes’ impending absence creates immediate questions for Ring of Honor, where he currently holds multiple titles. He is one-half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions alongside Sammy Guevara and part of the reigning ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions with The Von Erichs.
As of this writing, Ring of Honor has not made an official statement regarding the status of those championships or any plans for interim titleholders.
Known for his longevity, adaptability, and raw passion for wrestling, Dustin Rhodes has continually reinvented himself throughout his decades-spanning career, from Goldust in WWE to his acclaimed AEW run. His latest challenge is one of the toughest yet, but as Rhodes made crystal clear: this isn’t the final chapter.
Stay with PWMania.com for ongoing updates on Dustin Rhodes’ recovery, the future of the ROH titles, and more breaking news from AEW and ROH.
