Mark Davis is coming up on one year without stepping inside the squared circle. Back at AEW WrestleDream 2023, Davis competed alongside longtime tag partner Kyle Fletcher to challenge for the AEW World Tag Team Titles against then-champions Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler. FTR defeated Aussie Open to retain the gold in a hard-hitting, 20-minute affair. In the days that followed, reports emerged that the match did not leave all four competitors unscathed, as Davis suffered a wrist injury at some point in the contest. Davis has been shelved ever since, with updates on his in-ring return being quiet.
Mark Davis “Progressing” Towards AEW Return
Aussie Open could be reunited before long.
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As reported by Fightful Select, Mark Davis is “progressing well” towards an in-ring return. While Davis initially alluded to his original injury being related to his wrist, Fightful Select‘s report specified that “what specifically put him out of action has remained quiet” and that it is “his story to tell.” There is no specified timetable for his comeback.
While Davis personally has not been mentioned much on AEW programming, his presence by association has been prominent. Davis has been a member of New Japan Pro Wrestling stable United Empire for nearly four years now. During that time, Davis regularly tagged with Kyle Fletcher as Aussie Open, capturing tag gold in multiple divisions. Davis and Fletcher were also then-leader Will Ospreay’s go-to partners for trios matches.
In the years since, that trio of Davis, Fletcher, and Ospreay have become full-time members of the AEW roster. Davis’s injury came just one month before Ospreay signed his AEW contract.
This past week at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam, Fletcher and Ospreay tagged together to challenge The Young Bucks for the AEW World Tag Team Championships, entering Arthur Ashe Stadium with United Empire graphics on the tron. Fletcher and Ospreay fell short after Ospreay prevented Fletcher from cheating, further planting the seeds that Ospreay wants Fletcher to leave The Don Callis Family and return to his roots as an honorable competitor. Ospreay has taken issue with Fletcher’s heel manager, often trying to distance himself from Callis. If and when Davis is cleared to return to competition, expect to see him reintegrated into AEW programming via this storyline specifically, possibly aligned with Ospreay in trying to sway Fletcher back to the light side and embrace the United Empire once again.
