Influential Backstage AEW Figure To Retire

Farewell to one of the secret difference-makers in All Elite Wrestling.

Cody Rhodes Sandra Gray Tony Khan
AEW

Beloved AEW seamstress Sandra Gray is retiring.

Fightful Select had the first story on the seamstress getting set to exit the company. It brings to an end her four year with the company and near-30 year career in wrestling overall.

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Gray entered the industry via World Championship Wrestling, when Marc Mero's then-wife Rena (AKA WWE's Sable) requested her services for Mero's "Johnny B Badd" look. She was with WCW until they closed their doors in 2001, but was picked up by WWE as part of their purchase of the organisation. She remained there until 2015, featuring in Total Divas as well as other moments from backstage documentaries. Amongst other iconic looks, she was credited with creating the iconic dripping blood Scott Hall gear - an aesthetic he carried from his 1996 debut with the company to other places he worked following the Atlanta outfit's fall.

She had been with AEW since the organisation launched, having been lured in by Brandi Rhodes thanks to a prior relationship the pair had struck up working for WWE. Such was her influence and popularity that she will remain on call for Cody Rhodes, designing his attire has she has done now for several years.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett