Scotty 2 Hotty Calls AEW In-Ring Debut a "Personal Career Highlight"

Scotty 2 Hotty Behind the Scenes 

After being released from WWE as a talent in 2007, Garland returned to the promotion in 2016 as a trainer in the Performance Center. Garland remained in the role until November 2021 when he was granted his requested release from the promotion. While he enjoyed his time with WWE, Garland was reportedly at odds with the direction of talent development following the launch of WWE NXT 2.0. He has been working backstage for AEW as a producer since having a tryout in July. 

A Return to the Ring? 

While this match was Garland's AEW debut, Garland has remained semi-active in the ring outside of the All-Elite promotion. Garland's most recent match before this week's Dynamite was in June and saw him defeat 'Florida Man' at a DREAMWAVE Wrestling event. Garland has been open to the possibility of competing more for AEW and has been discussed for matches in the past. Garland was able to use his WWE 'Too Cool' theme as AEW acquired the license for it when obtaining the rights to use the Hardy Boyz theme.