As AEW continues to expand and build infrastructure over the course of its six years of existence, many familiar faces have begun to appear in a prominent behind-the-scenes role. Now we can fully confirm that another familiar face has joined the fight. Pwinsider Elite reports that former WWE and TNA name Josh Matthews works in AEW’s production trucks and has found that he is promoting information between AEW’s production team and producers/agents involved in match planning. This confirms previous reports from Dave Meltzer that Matthews joined AEW earlier this month.
This role is interesting for Matthews. Matthews remembers his role on screen as opposed to off. Matthews first brought people’s attention as a runner-up from the original WWE Tough, and joined WWE in 2002 as a backstage interviewer and host. He eventually became a full-time play-by-play announcer for the ECW brand in 2009, and later became the announcer for the original incarnations of “Raw”, “Smackdown”, and “NXT”. His run ended when he was released in June 2014 after his role had diminished over the past few years.
Later that year, Matthews signed with TNA and was announced in December as the new head announcer for the promotion, replacing the longtime Playby Man Mike Tenay. He worked in the role until January 2021, moving into a behind-the-scenes role as TNA’s senior director of digital media. His 10-year run at the promotion ended this February. He and several other longtime employees were let go as part of a behind-the-scenes shake-up. Matthews joins AEW and reunites with his wife, Madison Lane.
