Josh Mathews has ‘fallen in love with wrestling again’ in AEW
Since joining AEW last year, Josh Mathews has fallen in love with wrestling again.
Mathews, a former commentator for WWE and TNA Wrestling, now works for AEW as a line producer. Production is a role that Mathews first transitioned to during his final years with TNA, but he feels like he’s been learning the job through osmosis even dating back to his WWE career. It’s a side of the business that Mathews really enjoys.
On AEW Unrestricted, Mathews noted that he’s been trying to get into AEW ever since the promotion was founded. He ended up eventually departing TNA in 2025 following a change in management. After that, he reached out to AEW producer Sonjay Dutt and production head Michael Mansury, who he already had connections with through working together in TNA and WWE.
“I mean, honestly, since the inception of the company, I have been trying to work for AEW,” Mathews said. “I used to bug a certain EVP all the time about getting a job there and coming over. And when things were first kind of starting, I mean, if we’re just letting the cat out of the bag completely, you know, I was with another company, obviously, and then Sonjay Dutt went over. So I was bothering him about it all the time, like, ‘What is it going to be? Like, what is it about? What have you heard? What’s going on?’…
“With the change of management and ownership [at TNA], things didn’t work out. And I called Mike Mansury and called Sonjay again. And a year later, here we are. And I’m on this podcast with you guys. And it’s been great.”
Mathews is a long-time wrestling fan, and he’s happy to have reconnected with that part of himself now that he’s with AEW. He feels like everyone in AEW genuinely cares about each other. It doesn’t matter who comes up with an idea, all that matters is that the idea is good.
“Being here for the last year, and I’ve told this to Tony Khan, I have fallen in love with wrestling again,” Mathews said. “AEW has done that for me. And I loved wrestling as a kid. It was my favorite thing. It’s all I ever wanted to do. I think my story has been told pretty well over the years. But being here and seeing the passion, the dedication, the teamwork. You and I were talking before we started this about how in Australia you guys were over there and it all just comes together magically. And it isn’t for a lack of an incredible team being built by some amazing people.”
Mathews feels like he’s back in the major leagues for the first time since his WWE career ended, though he stressed that he does not mean that as an insult toward TNA. In AEW, his role has him on the headset in the production truck making sure that everything goes smoothly.
Madison Rayne, Mathews’ wife, also works for AEW as a coach for the women’s division.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.