Veteran UK wrestler Nathan Cruz announced on Tuesday that he has joined All Elite Wrestling as a backstage coach and producer.
Cruz revealed the news in a post on his Instagram account, stating he had been sitting on the information for “quite a while.” He wrote:
What an amazing week. I am so grateful to @aew and @tonyrkhan for this incredible opportunity to join the team as a coach/agent. Everyone has been so welcoming and I couldn’t be more proud to be joining a team that last night set an attendance record for professional wrestling inside the O2 Arena in London!
I’ve been sitting on this news for quite a while now and it’s relief to be able to finally talk about it publicly.
After 19 years in this industry, many ups and downs that have been well documented for those who know my career; this honestly means more than I could put into words.
A nearly 20-year veteran of the British independent scene, Cruz, 34, is best known for his foundational role in PROGRESS Wrestling. In 2012, he won an eight-man tournament at the company’s inaugural event to become the promotion’s first World Champion.
Throughout his extensive career, Cruz has competed in over 100 promotions. He is also a former two-time PROGRESS Tag Team Champion.
Cruz has made several appearances for WWE. He faced The Usos on Main Event in 2014, wrestled Elias on NXT in 2016, and competed in a dark match for NXT UK in 2017.
His most recent match was in February, in a losing effort for the World Association of Wrestling British Heavyweight Championship against Nathan Black.
