WWE News: Real identity of Gary 'The G.O.A.T' Garbutt revealed
What's the story?
Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre agreed to pay $5,000 to a janitor named Gary 'The G.O.A.T' Garbutt if he teamed with Roman Reigns on the July 8 episode of WWE Raw. As it turned out, Cedric Alexander disguised as the backstage worker and took part in the match instead.
It has now been revealed, thanks to Commercial Appeal, that ‘Gary’ is actually Kosha Irby, a former director of live events for WWE in the Memphis area.
In case you didn't know…
On the final episode of Raw before Extreme Rules, Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre were supposed to face Roman Reigns and a partner of McMahon’s choosing in the show’s main event.
Towards the end of the episode, they finally found their man – Gary 'The G.O.A.T' Garbutt – and gave him a financial incentive to stand on the ring apron while they fought Reigns in what would essentially have been a 2-on-1 handicap match.
‘Gary’, wearing a mask at the request of McMahon and McIntyre, surprised everybody by tagging in and showcasing some high-flying moves in the second half of the match, which McMahon ultimately won for his team after McIntyre hit the ‘janitor’ with a Claymore.
Following the match, it was revealed that the man under the mask was former 205 Live star Cedric Alexander.
The heart of the matter
Memphis-based website Commercial Appeal is reporting that Kosha Irby played the character of Gary 'The G.O.A.T' Garbutt on this week's Raw, which took place in Newark, New Jersey.
Irby is the former team president of the Memphis Express – an American football team that recently folded after just one season – and he is also a former Memphis Tiger defensive back.
He had previously worked for WWE for seven years as the regional director for live events in Memphis.
What's next?
Roman Reigns is set to join forces with The Undertaker to face Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre in a No Holds Barred tag team match at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on July 14.
As for Kosha Irby, only time will tell if he will find himself on WWE television again!
See WWE Smackdown Live Updates, Highlights of event, & more on WWE Smackdown updates page