Josh Mathews, a familiar voice and face to wrestling fans from his lengthy tenures in both WWE and TNA Wrestling, is now working behind the scenes for All Elite Wrestling, according to a report today from PWInsider. Mathews was reportedly spotted recently working within AEW’s production trucks during broadcasts.
The specific role Mathews has undertaken involves acting as a key liaison during shows. He is said to be facilitating communication between the core production team in the truck and the coaches (producers/agents) who are involved in planning and executing the matches and segments happening live in the arena.
Mathews brings decades of experience to AEW. Fans first met him as a runner-up on the inaugural season of WWE Tough Enough in 2001. WWE subsequently hired him in 2002, and he spent over a decade with the company in various capacities, including as a backstage interviewer, host of shows like Afterburn, and eventually as a play-by-play commentator for multiple brands including ECW, SmackDown, and NXT before his release in June 2014.
Following his WWE departure, Mathews joined TNA Wrestling (then Impact Wrestling) in late 2014, taking over as the lead announcer in January 2015, replacing Mike Tenay. He remained the primary voice of the promotion until 2021 when he transitioned into significant backstage roles, including Senior Producer and Senior Director of Digital Media. Mathews departed TNA earlier this year in February 2025 amid other staffing changes following the company’s rebranding back to the TNA name. His wife, Madison Rayne, has also worked for AEW as a coach/producer since 2022.
