Report: AEW Hires Former WCW Talent For Backstage Role

Eagle-eyed viewers of "AEW Dynamite" will have noticed a familiar face on a recent episode of the show, as Ray Lloyd, better known as WCW star Glacier, was seen breaking up a backstage brawl between MJF and Rush. Many fans were left wondering whether Glacier was simply at the show visiting, was hired as an extra, or perhaps there was more to it, and it seems that Glacier is in fact "All Elite."

Fightful Select have been able to confirm that the former WCW star has been part of AEW for a few months, where he has been working primarily as a backstage producer, as well as coach. The company didn't give a specific date when it came to exactly when Glacier joined AEW, but it was confirmed that despite working behind the scenes for a while, the official hiring happened fairly recently. Longtime AEW fans will be familiar with Glacier as an in-ring competitor, as the '90s WCW talent was part of the first match in AEW history, the Casino Battle Royale at Double or Nothing 2019. It's unlikely that Glacier will follow-up on this match with a return to in-ring action for AEW in his new role, but he hasn't technically retired from action, as he wrestled for QT Marshall's Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling as recently as February 2024.

Glacier has had loose ties to AEW since his initial appearance in 2019 thanks to being a coach, and co-owner, of The Nightmare Factory wrestling school with the aforementioned Marshall and the current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. Many young AEW stars have trained under Glacier, including the likes of Anna Jay, Julia Hart, and Lee Johnson, but the school's website is not active at the time of writing.