Backstage Update On Injury Status Of AEW's Smart Mark Sterling

AEW has had a bit of bad luck with injuries recently, losing Swerve Strickland to a torn meniscus in his knee and Will Ospreay to a neck injury that may keep him out for a significant amount of time. That bad luck has extended to wrestlers who also moonlight as lawyers, as AEW/Ring of Honor manager "Smart" Mark Sterling revealed last week that he had suffered a torn biceps muscle, potentially putting a damper on his work with Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, and Josh Woods of the Premiere Athletes.

Though some wondered whether Sterling's injury was a work, given he revealed it on TV, that is not the case. Fightful Select confirmed that Sterling's injury is legitimate, and that he will be undergoing surgery on the torn biceps this Thursday. However, those looking for their Sterling fix won't have to wait long, as while Sterling won't be able to do anything physical, he will be allowed to perform other managerial duties in a few weeks.

Joining AEW back in 2020 as MJF's legal representative, Sterling has largely gone on to become associated with the Premiere Athletes, though he has also managed clients such as Jade Cargill during her AEW run. While Sterling has only wrestled a handful of matches in AEW, he has continued to work matches outside the promotion, most notably for Beyond Wrestling. It's unclear whether Sterling suffered the injury during one of his indie matches, or in AEW/ROH, where he is known to be attacked by the Premiere Athletes' opponents.

Fortunately, Sterling has secured an insurance policy for the Premiere Athletes in the form of Stori Denali. The 6'3 former Volleyball player for Ohio State University, who began wrestling just one year ago, debuted this past Friday on an ROH YouTube special, helping the Athletes defeat Angelico and Serpentico in tag team action.