| Josh Mathews | |
|---|---|
 Mathews in 2010 | |
| Birth name | Joshua Matthew Lomberger |
| Born | (1980-11-25)November 25, 1980 (age 44)[1] Griffith, Indiana, U.S.[1] |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Josh Mathews[2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2] |
| Billed weight | 143 lb (65 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Sea Isle City, New Jersey[2] |
| Trained by | Al Snow Ivory Tazz |
| Debut | 2001 |
Joshua Matthew Lomberger[1] (born November 25, 1980),[1] better known by thering nameJosh Mathews, is an Americanprofessional wrestling producer, formerplay by play commentator, and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his time inTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) andWWE.
Lomberger was arunner-up toMaven andNidia in the firstWWE Tough Enough in 2001.[1]
Lomberger was eventually hired byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and began using the name Josh Mathews. In December 2002, he began appearing as the backstage interviewer for theSmackDown!brand and as an announcer onVelocity. He also hosted the WWE webcastByte This![3] afterKevin Kelly was released. He later hosted several shows on WWE's official website, includingWeekly Top 5,The WWE Experience, andAfter Burn.[2] In 2003, Mathews also stood in forTony Chimel as ring announcer forSmackDown!.
In 2004, Mathews was given some limited ring time onSmackDown! whenJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) slapped Mathews for not showing respect to JBL's chief of staffOrlando Jordan when he was interviewing him. He later offered and was accepted to beBooker T's temporary partner for atag team match on an episode ofSmackDown!. He and Booker T ultimately won the match.[4] He was later assaulted by Jordan and requested fromGeneral ManagerTheodore Long that he be given a one-on-one match against him. Booker T wanted to be at ringside during the Mathews-Jordan match, as JBL would no doubt be present, and would give Booker T an excuse to beat down JBL before their match atSurvivor Series. Mathews once again emerged victorious against Jordan, with some considerable help from Booker T.[5] He also tried to help Booker T in his WWE Championship match at the Survivor Series, but was given aClothesline From Hell by JBL for his efforts.[6] On the March 31, 2005 episode ofSmackDown! Mathews was attacked byKurt Angle.[7] Mathews was thenpossessed byThe Undertaker on the December 9, 2005 episode ofSmackDown! while interviewingRandy Orton.[8]
Mathews filled in for an absentTodd Grisham on a summer 2006 episode ofRaw. He also hosted pre-shows for WWEpay-per-view events, and he providedcolor commentary onHeat from time to time before the show was cancelled in May 2008.[9] He was the host of WWE.com's Weekly Top Five when it started and hosted it until April 2009 when he was replaced by Jack Korpela. DuringTodd Grisham's stint as ECW commentator, Mathews replaced him as Raw's backstage interviewer. Mathews, along withWWE DivaCandice Michelle were WWE's correspondents at both theDemocratic andRepublicanNational Conventions in an effort to encourage WWE fans to register to vote for the2008 Presidential election.[1]
On the April 7, 2009, episode ofECW, Mathews was announced as the new play-by-play commentator, as the previous commentator,Todd Grisham was moved toSmackDown afterTazz departed WWE.[10][11] In addition to commentating on ECW and ECW pay-per-view matches, Mathews along withMatt Striker represented theECWbrand onSuperstars every week starting with the inaugural episode on April 16, 2009.[12] After ECW's closure, Mathews became the color commentator ofNXT. On the April 9, 2010 episode ofSmackDown, Mathews was attacked with a sleeper hold byDolph Ziggler when he was interviewing him. On December 10, Mathews officially replaced Todd Grisham as the play-by-play commentator forSmackDown, commentating alongsideMichael Cole and Striker.[13] On the February 4, 2011, episode ofSmackDown, Mathews and Cole were joined byBooker T, forming a three-man announce team. Mathews was replaced byWilliam Regal as a commentator on season five ofNXT in 2011.
In late 2010, Mathews often worked as the color commentator onRaw due toJerry Lawler's increased in-ring competition. On April 3, 2011, Mathews commentated the majority ofWrestleMania XXVII, though he received a 'Stone Cold Stunner' from an angeredStone Cold Steve Austin, cutting his night short.[14] The following night onRaw, Mathews found himself aligned with Jerry Lawler, and against Michael Cole. He then became the alternate spokesman for theAnonymous Raw General Manager, when Michael Cole was not commentating. He then using the new catchphrase "The AnonymousRaw General Manager says...", before reading each e-mail. On the April 25 episode ofRaw, Mathews announced that theJim Ross and Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole and Jack Swagger match atExtreme Rules will be a Country Whipping match, which Cole and Swagger won. At the following pay-per-view,Over the Limit, Mathews supported Lawler,Bret Hart andEve Torres in having Michael Cole kiss Lawler's foot. The following night, again as the spokesman for the anonymous Raw General Manager, Mathews read the e-mail that deniedThe Miz's request for another title shot, seemingly done withJohn Cena. He left theRaw broadcasting table the following week, after Cole and Lawler reconciled, though he remained on the show as a backstage interviewer and backup commentator.
Mathews reunited with his formerECW andSmackDown broadcast partner Matt Striker on the November 10, 2011 episode ofSuperstars, becoming the full-time broadcasting team. He and Striker also called the November 9, 2011 broadcast ofNXT, marking his second return to the show since his original run ended after season four. On the April 23, 2012 episode ofRaw, Mathews was throttled byBrock Lesnar after Lesnar believed Mathews had made a smart-aleck comment towards him. Later in the year, he was attacked atSummerSlam, this time byKane, who was angry over being defeated byDaniel Bryan. Mathews was again attacked by Kane on August 31, 2012 episode ofSmackDown after he lost his match againstAlberto Del Rio.
Mathews was the play-by-play commentator ofSaturday Morning Slam throughout the show's 2012–2013 run. He was also a commentator ofMain Event. On September 27, 2013, he started as commentator ofSuperstars withTom Phillips.[15] On October 18, 2013 episode ofSmackDown, Alberto Del Rio attacked Mathews while threateningJohn Cena about what he was going to do to him inHell in a Cell. On June 25, 2014, Mathews was released from WWE.[16]
After being released from WWE, it was reported that Lomberger had signed withTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) to work in their offices in Nashville.[17] Throughout November and December, Mathews appeared in episodes of#ImWithSpud on TNA'sYouTube channel. In December 2014, TNA confirmed that Mathews would takeMike Tenay's place. In January 2015, Mathews was the lead announcer ofImpact! (TV series) alongsideTaz.[18] On June 3, 2015,D'Angelo Dinero officially joined Mathews as his broadcast partner forTNA Wrestling.
On the March 2, 2017 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Mathews turnedheel that night when he began favoring heel wrestlers overface wrestlers. He continuously praised himself, and he argued with D'Angelo Dinero throughout the broadcast. In April, Mathews had a series of arguments withJeremy Borash and the two started a heated rivalry, which seemed to culminate in a match where Mathews and Borash formed teams of four wrestlers to compete against each other, with the team Mathews created ending up on the losing side, meaning he would no longer be lead-commentator. However, on April 21, Mathews returned to ringside accompanyingEthan Carter III, and joined Borash and Dinero, providing commentary, again belittling the wrestlers who the fans cheered for. AtSlammiversary XV, Mathews teamed withScott Steiner against Jeremy Borash andJoseph Park in a losing effort. On January 13, 2018,Matt Sydal turned heel and gifted hisImpact Grand Championship to Mathews, only for Sydal to drop the belt toAustin Aries while defending it on Mathews' behalf. Following this, Mathews' heel commentator status was phased out.
Mathews ceased to be TNA's main play-by-play announcer following2021 Hard To Kill, though he still occasionally filled in at shows when new leadMatt Striker was unavailable.
On February 12, 2025, it was reported that Mathews had parted ways with TNA ending his decade tenure with the company.[19]
Lomberger was previously married toRue DeBona from November 2006 until their divorce in 2008. In August 2015, Lomberger married Ashley Simmons, best known by her ring nameMadison Rayne.[20]
Mathews, along withBatista,Shelton Benjamin andCandice Michelle, representedWWE at the2008 Democratic National Convention in an effort to persuade fans to register to vote in the2008 presidential election.[21]
All three brands will be featured weekly and each brand's announcers will call their respective bouts.
,Internet Wrestling Database| Preceded by | Impact! lead announcer 2015–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Impact! lead announcer 2018–2021 | Succeeded by |