Ex-WWE Writer Says Tony Khan Could Benefit From Having A Creative Team

When AEW started out, Tony Khan wanted to set it apart from WWE. One of the ways he accomplished that was by avoiding writers in their creative process and offering stars the creative freedom to express themselves. While this was a welcome arrangement, especially from stars who jumped ship from WWE, one ex-WWE writer says AEW could benefit immensely from having a creative team of writers.

In an interview with Wrestling Inc, former WWE writer and producer Robert Karpeles reflected on working for the company. When asked about his time as a “producer,” Karpeles praised Hausman for using the term instead of a “writer,” as his role in WWE entailed much more than that. He also believed Tony Khan’s AEW would perform better if they had a creative writing team.

“I’m glad you used that, because bless his heart, our future Lord and Savior Tony Khan has a dislike of what he perceives as “WWE writers,” which I think is something his product could definitely benefit from. “

Karpeles went on to say describe what the roles of writer and producer entailed and how they may come to overlap at times. He then emphasized the importance of a team who are solely dedicated to writing.

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And I think the more production people that go over from WWE there can talk to them about it. The idea of a writer in WWE is not, “I’m going to write out a nine-page soliloquy that I want Batista to go deliver on television.” There’s a small degree to that, but really you’re given a grid, and you’re filling in the segments of the show, and you’re building to a pay-per-view, and you are trying your best, in the Vince McMahon era, to say, “We have four weeks until No Mercy. We have this card. This card has been approved and is written in stone for now. We need to get there week one, two, three and four and map out how we’re going to do that. So I used to love when I would see all the criticism of.”

There’s no long-term booking, they don’t know what they’re doing.” We try. You try to say, “here’s where we’re going to get to.” When you get to TV, you are a producer in that you are running around with the script, wrangling talent, talking about what it is we’re going to do, setting up the shot, getting the cameramen in place, getting the lighting in place and actually filming it. You are a writer/producer.

There are production people who are on set, who are there, who are building the live show. But when it comes to the pre-tapes, when it comes to any of the vignettes, those are being done by people whose title is writer, but you really are a jack of all trades. And as a non-union company, that’s part of the fun of it.”

As Triple H took over the reins of WWE creative last year, he granted wrestlers more creative freedom and saw huge success. Perhaps Tony Khan can take page from WWE’s book and test out a creative writing team as well. For more updates, stay tuned to Ringside News.

What’s your take on AEW’s creative process? Let us know how you feel in the comments below!