Backstage Rumor on AEW EVPs Creative Power Being Severely Diminished

According to a story that was reported last week by Cassidy Haynes on Bodyslam.net, the creative power of the company Executive Vice Presidents who are also wrestling talents for AEW (All Elite Wrestling), The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Cody Rhodes, have had their creative power severely diminished with the company. Per Haynes’ report, sources within AEW have stated that the EVPs have essentially had their creative power “completely taken away from them.”

Additionally, all creative booking now reportedly goes through Tony Khan. AEW talents are said to be able and also encouraged to pitch ideas and give suggestions, but the role of creative is now mainly going through Tony Khan.

Cody Rhodes as EVP was reportedly at one point the only EVP who was able to regularly attend AEW office meetings and regularly in the AEW offices. However, his creative input with AEW is also said to have greatly diminished from what it was before. The report noted that Matt Jackson’s primary role as EVP is now in assisting his wife Dana with the company merchandise, while Nick Jackson still works the Bucks’ web show, Being The Elite (BTE), along with helping the women’s matches.

Multiple sources have indicated that the wrestlers are “basically” now “EVPs in name only in 2021.” Additionally, it’s said, “They no longer have final say in creative or talent hiring. Any of them. TK pulled back on the reigns and took that power away from all.”

The report also commented on the current status of the relationship between Cody Rhodes and the other EVPs. Earlier this year, there were rumors of there being infighting among the EVPs, and that Cody was no longer talking to the Bucks or Omega. Cody later denied the rumors in May.

Per the Bodyslam report, it’s rumored that Cody at the moment doesn’t have much in the way of a relationship with the other EVPs. While the other EVPs are reportedly still great friends, Cody is said to be “on the outside looking in” when it comes to them right now.

Dave Meltzer also addressed the rumors regarding the EVP situation on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio, and his comments paint a bit of a different picture regarding AEW’s creative situation. According to Meltzer, the current status of Tony Khan taking the reins of the creative booking has been the case in AEW since December 2019. Meltzer went on to state that the EVPs are still part of all the creative discussions and have a lot of creative input in AEW, but Khan makes the final call and is described as the head booker of the company.

Meltzer stated, “The EVPs, they are all in the discussions on this stuff, but Tony makes the final call. They all have input.” Additionally, Meltzer stated that the EVP wrestlers have a lot more input when it comes to their own angles, interviews, and booking in the company.

Also, Meltzer reported that other top names in the company, such as Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho, have a lot of creative input in their promos and angles, noting that their promos in AEW aren’t scripted. Meltzer described the top names will be told their spot on an event, their matchup, the matches that will get them to the PPV, who will win and lose, which will be Tony Khan’s decision, and then the talents are reportedly given creative free rein to put their matches and promos together.

Meltzer added that none of the EVPs have lost any power “of late.” He continued, “Nobody has lost any power of late. It’s the same thing that it’s been.”

AEW has had a very busy few months as they have brought in some major star power in the form of Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) and CM Punk debut, launched AEW Rampage on Friday nights, seen their former head-to-head competitor NXT move nights and change format, and seen ratings for AEW Dynamite on Wednesday rise to the point of defeating WWE RAW as the highest rated pro wrestling show on cable on occasion. Smackdown, which airs on network TV, remains wrestling’s most watched show domestically.