Do AEW Wrestlers Have Creative Control?

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Do AEW wrestlers have creative control?

Creative control is a word that’s thrown around in several industries lately, and it has been mentioned quite a bit around the professional wrestling scene.

What does this mean?

Well, this is just a clause that allows wrestlers to have their say in their storylines, matches, and title runs and reigns. 

AEW’s president Tony Khan in his latest media call clarified that the AEW does not give any creative control clauses in its contracts as it can have a disruptive effect on the entertainment and business fronts.

This effectively dispelled the growing rumors about the AEW providing creative control to its wrestlers.

The rumors have been a result of the number of seasoned veterans that the company has chosen to add to their ranks from Sting to Chris Jericho.

It was simply difficult to think that these stars wouldn’t have their say in the promotion.

Who has creative control in AEW?

No One, Absolutely NO ONE has creative control in the AEW.

This fact was made very clear by the president of the promotion Tony Khan in his media call where he was asked if it might stand as an obstacle for the company, and the AEW president responded by saying:

“If there are any issues, they will be directed to me.. and giving creative control is an actual obstacle as there can easily be complications. A written show should not have such difficulties” 

Logically speaking, Tony Khan has a point because there can be other opinions at every point, and with an issue like that the possibility of getting anywhere would be like climbing a mountain without any gear.

With such limitations, the show has continued on its upward trajectory which means that limiting creative control is not as bad as it was made out to be.

Tony Khan also spoke about his work with other minor promotions (that AEW collaborates with) and calmed their fears of potential creative issues as he said that he had spoken with all the responsible members in the other promotions to ensure that they are all on the same page creatively. 

Does AEW have a creative team?

At the inception of the promotion, all creative powers were handed over to the EVP’s of the company.

A panel consisting of:

  • Chris Jericho
  • Kenny Omega
  • Cody Rhodes
  • Nick and Matt Jackson
  • Brandi Rhodes

This team was tasked with bringing creative ideas that would propel the promotion to the top of the professional wrestling industry and for the better part of the company’s existence, they satisfied those requirements.

Recently, the creative control has been stripped from the EVP’s and has been taken over by the AEW president Tony Khan.

This decision was in part a result of the actions of the EVP’s that made Tony Khan feel like he was an outsider, which pushed him to make changes to the system.

Will the system be as successful? I guess we will find out with time. 

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