Browsing: Creative

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After a quiet summer, Austin Theory seemed set to emerge in a big way this fall. Recent reports had Theory joining former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Paul Heyman as the newest member of The Vision, with Theory’s debut set to occur prior to Survivor Series: WarGames. But those plans have had doubts cast on them after last week, when Rollins was kicked out of The Vision and revealed to be out long-term with a shoulder injury.

For the moment, however, things still look good for Theory, though perhaps not as good as before. Taking to X this morning, Wrestlevotes reported that many voices within WWE were continuing to push for Theory to be involved with the promotion’s ongoing creative plan. It was also confirmed that discussions involving Theory joining The Vision had occurred, and that, regardless if he joined the group or not, Theory had plenty of “internal support” regarding a return in “a significant manner.” While this outlook still appears largely optimistic, and suggests Theory’s return is imminent, it must be noted that the idea of Theory joining The Vision appears to be far less definitive than it was in previous reports.

Sources indicate there are still voices within the company pushing to keep Austin Theory involved in creative plans, even after the recent shuffling caused by Seth Rollins’ injury.

The idea of Theory joining The Vision was at least discussed, and he still has internal support…

— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) October 21, 2025

Theory has been absent from WWE since July 12, when he was defeated by El Grande Americano in an episode of “WWE Main Event.” A week later, Theory’s long-time partner Grayson Waller announced that Theory was injured and that their tag team had officially broken up. Though there was some speculation about Theory’s WWE future after he was removed from the internal roster, it was later confirmed that Theory was still with WWE, and had been moved to the injured section of the internal roster.

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Further details on WWE using AI for their creative.

Fightful Select reported on Sunday that WWE’s creative team has been using AI tools “for years.†However, it is being used more like a creative assistant to determine things like when two wrestlers last had a match. It was also said that nobody on the creative team knew of anyone who used the AI system for more than “a couple of minutes.”

In regards to the recent new hire, Fightfulâ€s report says that the creative team is under the impression that he is being brought in to find ways to have AI help remove background noise in shots, organize files quickly, or work on production elements of WWE’s shows as opposed to creative storylines. Fightful was also specifically told that AI will not replace the creative writing team, with one top star saying that “Michael Hayes, Paul Heyman and Ed Koskey are not AI.â€

It was reported in this weekâ€s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Cyrus Kowsari was brought in back in September as WWEâ€s senior director of creative strategy. Triple H introduced Kowsari to the creative team as someone that would “lead WWEâ€s transition into AI-based storytelling and integrate AI into creative services like video and graphics.â€

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Alexa Bliss calls late WWE star Bray Wyatt a creative genius.

In an interview with In The Kliq, Alexa Bliss recalled how Wyatt pushed her to deeply understand her character. He encouraged her to study documentaries, horror movies, and other materials to help her fully dive into the world of her on-screen persona.

“I remember when I first started working with him. He gave me this whole – because he does deep dives on his characters, deep, deep dives, all this research he was like, ‘Watch these documentaries, watch these scary movies, watch this, take notes on this.†And it really made me appreciate the fact that it wasnâ€t just doing research on your character.â€

“He created a whole world for his character. And that was something that I took with me, you have to know your character inside and out, you have to know where they grew up, you have to know the world that they live in, you have to know what is reality to them and not just what we see in front of us.â€

Alexa Bliss Says Bray Wyatt was a creative genius

Alexa Bliss said working with Bray Wyatt completely changed how she viewed character work in WWE. “That was something that really opened my eyes character-wise he was a creative genius, and he saw the world of WWE in a different way than anybody else ever has. And he created this whole alternate universe within the WWE universe. And that was something that I found so fascinating, his creativity, and any time that he wants to talk about creative, it was like you had to keep up, because his mind was just going.â€

“It was so cool to not only witness but be a part of. And the fact that weâ€re continuing his story with the Wyatt Sicks and we have the Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks House at the Universals, I think itâ€s so cool. “I just love that the WWE as a whole is keeping his vision alive and keeping him alive. I think that he would be super happy with everything that weâ€re doing to keep it going.†[H/T: Wrestletalk]

Read More: Alexa Bliss Shares Real Reason For Teaming With Charlotte Flair In WWE

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By Ella Jay

Oct. 12, 2025 10:30 am EST

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At the top of WWE’s creative department currently sits Paul “Triple H” Levesque, the Chief Content Officer. Years from now, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes sees himself, CM Punk, or Seth Rollins potentially stepping into the same role. During a recent episode of “Something To Wrestle,” WWE Hall of Famer John “Bradshaw” Layfield backed up that idea.

“Triple H is pretty young. He could be there quite a while, but yeah, I think all three of those guys could do a great job with it,” JBL said. “I’ve told you many times, when you walk into a wrestler’s meeting, they’re going over a finish, going over an angle or storyline or something, there’s always one guy that talks. You just have certain respect and a certain guy has the acumen that everybody cedes to him. These three guys are those guys. I think they all do a wonderful job. They’re all smart guys. It’s a tough job. They all have the intelligence to do it.”

According to JBL, former WWE CEO Vince McMahon had long trained Levesque to take over WWE someday, with the foundational principle that WWE was to be run like an entertainment company, rather than a professional wrestling one.

“I think Triple H has a huge lead on these guys, but what Vince did for Triple H, Triple H could do for one of these guys,” JBL added.

Following his eventual in-ring retirement, Rollins foresees himself taking on a backstage role somewhere in WWE. Meanwhile, Rhodes already has backstage experience through his previous role as an EVP for AEW. Both he and Rollins also once stepped in as producers for a WWE live event. In the case of Punk, he continues to lend words of wisdom to WWE’s young talents in “WWE NXT” and on the main roster.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Something To Wrestle” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Natalia Bryant has made her debut as a creative director with a short film that features a subject matter with which she’s very familiar.

The 70-second piece is called “Forever Iconic: Purple and Gold Always,” and it’s all about the worldwide impact of the Lakers — something Bryant has experienced throughout her life as the oldest daughter of one of the Lakers’ great icons, Kobe Bryant.

The film, posted online Wednesday by the Lakers, is a fast-paced tribute to the team and its fans. It features a number of celebrity cameos — Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani takes batting practice wearing a Lakers cap; current Lakers star Luka Doncic yells “Kobe!” as he shoots a towel into a hamper; fashion designer Jeff Hamilton creates a number of Lakers jackets; actor Brenda Song obsessively watches and cheers for the team on her computer; Lakers legend Magic Johnson declares, “It’s Showtime, baby!”

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Mixed in are shots of regular fans paying tribute to the team in their own ways.

“This project was an amazing, collaborative environment with such creative people and we all came together to try and portray the Lakers†impact, not only in L.A. but around the world,” Natalia Bryant said in a statement released by the Lakers. “Everyone has their own connection to the Lakers. I hope those who already love this team watch this project and remember what that pride feels like. And if youâ€re not a Lakers fan yet, I hope you watch this, and it makes you want to be.â€

Bryant, who graduated from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in May, included some famous Lakers clips, such as LeBron James arguing, “It’s our ball, ain’t it?” and her father hitting a buzzer-beating shot against the Phoenix Suns during the 2006 playoffs.

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“Such an honor to be apart of this project!” Bryant wrote on Instagram. “Thank you @lakers for having me join as creative director💛lakers family forever”

Lakers controlling owner and president Jeanie Buss also posted the video on Instagram.

“Cheers to the millions of fans around the world who make the Lakers the most popular team in the NBA!!” Buss wrote. “You are the best fans in the league. Congratulations and huge thanks to the amazing @nataliabryant who helped bring this film to life for her creative director debut.”

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Lakers superfan Song also posted a number of photos related to the project on Instagram, including one of herself with Bryant.

“Lake show for life,” Song wrote.

Bryant responded in the comments, “For life!”

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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WWE officials are finalizing plans to wrap another big year in the TKO era. While the company has undergone unprecedented growth and expansion in recent years, with high-stakes happenings going down more often than not, Triple H and members of his team do realize they have a creative problem, and now they are doing something about it.

WWE’s Chief Content Officer is often praised for providing a better working environment for talent and staff, and a better pro wrestling product for the fans. However, Triple H is also catching more heat from fans and industry insiders these days, with fans and wrestlers calling for someone new to take over the company’s creative process.

Despite a successful 2025 so far, WWE officials continue to field significant fan backlash and criticism over much of the creative, including John Cena’s farewell tour. Triple H and others in the company have been called out for other decisions outside of the storylines, including the access that fans received through WWE Unreal on Netflix. A new report from Bodyslam confirms that officials have taken notice.

WWE Officials Hold Meetings Centered Around Creative

WWE officials have held meetings over the past few days to discuss the creative process, and how to improve the product, according to Bodyslam.net. Fans will be happy to hear that company officials are currently implementing creative changes to WWE’s Creative Writing Team as a part of efforts to improve the overall product.

“Road Dogg” Brian James will move forward in his role as head writer of SmackDown. However, there will be additions made to the writing team in hopes of making the show more enjoyable.

World Wrestling Entertainment has had record profits and other high metrics of success in the TKO era, but officials realize that they need to do better when it comes to creative. Part of the plan is to book more enticing storylines going into 2026.

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  Anthony GharibOct 8, 2025, 04:01 PM ET

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The Los Angeles Lakers turned to a familiar face to be the creative director of their preseason hype video: Natalia Bryant.

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Bryant had a star-studded cast for the “Forever Iconic: Purple and Gold Always” video with Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, Lakers legend Magic Johnson and actor and noted Lakers fan Brenda Song all having a role. Celebrity jacket designer Jeff Hamilton also made an appearance.

It included moments such as Song re-creating a viral LeBron James meme where he yells: “it’s our ball, ain’t it?” and Luka Doncic yelling “Kobe” as he performs a stepback move to shoot a towel into a trash can. Johnson appears toward the end, holding a Larry O’Brien Trophy and saying: “It’s Showtime, baby.” Natalia, the eldest daughter of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, also included a clip of her father’s iconic game winner against the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 NBA playoffs.

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Natalia wrote on Instagram that it was “such an honor” to be part of the project. She also wrote “Lakers family forever” in the caption.

She graduated from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts in May. She also appeared in a Nike commercial with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson in August to promote the Kobe 3 Protro.

The Lakers’ regular season tips off against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21.

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Santos Escobar is the hottest topic of discussion within the WWE Universe right now. Right as he was heading into free agency, the Legado Del Fantasma leader shocked the industry by reaching a deal with WWE. Now it appears the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion is planning big moves for his return to the storylines.

Earlier this week when the news of Escobar’s WWE contract situation emerged, he took to Instagram with a vignette inspired by The Most Interesting Man In The World commercials. Escobar captioned the post with a message encouraging fans to “palante,” or move forward.

“Never stop. Always persevere. #luchalibre #mexico PALANTE!!!,” Santos Escobar wrote with the video below.

The Emperor Of Lucha Libre then fueled rumors and speculation in a major way today after news of his WWE contract extension leaked. The vignette shows Escobar at a photo-shoot, which many fans saw as Santos teasing a return to his El Hijo del Fantasma gimmick, or his King Cuerno character from Lucha Underground. There was no caption to the post, but the in-video caption touted how this is just the beginning.

“It is only the beginning. Never … underestimate power,” reads the caption on the video.

Escobar then fueled the gimmick change speculation with a post to X, which was not uploaded to Instagram. The photo, seen below, appears to be from the same photo-shoot, and shows Escobar with his lucha libre mask. There was no caption.

pic.twitter.com/kL11QU33I5

— S. 💀🇲🇽 (@EscobarWWE) October 8, 2025

Santos Escobar Shares Song Lyrics In Latest Post

Santos Escobar has trended all week over his ongoing WWE contract situation. The SmackDown Superstar has kept the buzz going with cryptic social media posts.

The Son Of El Fantasma took to Instagram today with another cryptic post after news of his new WWE contract was revealed. Escobar shared an intense black-and-white photo from another shoot, and captioned the post with lyrics from Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” single from 1964-1965, which has been covered by numerous notable acts over the years.

“Birds flying high… you know how I feel… sun in the sky… you know how I feel… breeze drifting on by… you now how I feel. Itâ€s a new dawn, Itâ€s a new day, Itâ€s a new life… And I feel…. GOOD,” Santos Escobar wrote with the photo below.

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John Cena and The Rock will always be synonymous with pro wrestling. Cena and Rock have limited their in-ring careers following successful transitions to Hollywood, and now a controversial name is revealing more on how unfortunate circumstances surround a failed last chance for Cena and The Rock to work together.

Vince Russo and Big Match John never really got the chance to do creative work together. However, the one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion has made several claims over the years about how he was responsible for a few of Rock’s unique identifiers and catchphrases that set him on a path to success early in his career.

The Never-Seen Seventeen and The Final Boss battled each other more than anyone else in the late stages of their careers, while also standing together at times such as WrestleMania 32 against The Wyatt Family. Cena and Rock reignited their rivalry in the main event of WrestleMania 40 in 2024, but earlier this year Cena aligned with The Great One to shockingly turn heel on Cody Rhodes, which led to Cena’s Undisputed Championship victory at WrestleMania 41.

Sources have gone back-and-forth on why The Rock did not work WrestleMania Vegas earlier this year and why his involvement in Cena’s farewell tour has been extremely limited, among other questions and theories surrounding Rock’s ongoing run. In talking with Dr. Chris Featherstone on The Wrestling Outlaws, Russo commented on how Cena got caught up in some of Rock’s behind-the-scenes drama.

“A lot went sour with Rock. A lot went sour with Rock and people not being on the same page, and Cena got caught right smack in the middle of that, and since that happened, they have not been able to recover from that,” Vince Russo said.

Russo dismissed any idea of Cena potentially extending his WWE farewell tour to WrestleMania 42. Among the reasons Cena would decline such an offer, Russo pointed to how Cena likely has had a negative creative experience over the last 9 months, and has a much better gig on-set with The Peacemaker series.

Vince Russo Speaks On John Cena’s WWE Creative Control Amid Farewell Tour

Vince Russo continued discussing John Cena’s farewell tour with Dr. Chris Featherstone on The Wrestling Outlaws, and thinks a WWE contract extension for the 17-time World Champion would not be ideal at this point. Russo then defended The Rock against accusations of bailing on plans with the Cenation leader, and dropped a scoop on Big Match John’s creative control for the retirement run.

“I think that’s where Cena’s head is at. I would just love to know, bro, like, man… if we were a fly on the wall, what really, really, really happened? I don’t think the Rock, the Rock that I knew, I don’t think The Rock would make a commitment to John Cena, and then The Rock would pull out, and bail out, on Cena. I don’t believe that about Dwayne Johnson, not for a minute. If Dwayne Johnson made a commitment, then he made a commitment, and when you watch that WWE Unreal, he was into it. Rock was into it with the [cuts neck] and the whole 9 yards. We saw he was into it. I was also told this, bro… I was also told by an active person on the roster that Cena is calling all his own shots in this run,” Vince Russo said.

He continued:

“I was told that Cena definitely has final say. So, Rock and Cena at one point were on the same page, there’s no question about that, Rock committed to that. Something happened, and when that something happened, and Rock is pulled out of the equation, now they have no idea what to do with John Cena, and what’s John Cena doing? He’s trying to book himself against the best opponents he can. Brock Lesnar’s a good opponent, there’s a history. He’s probably a huge supporter of AJ Styles, probably loves AJ because everybody that knows AJ loves AJ. So, why wouldn’t Cena give AJ a shot? But man, I would just truly love to know because nobody is going to tell me that freakin’ The Rock bailed on John Cena. Nobody’s going to tell me that,” Vince Russo said.

Cena is set to wrestle AJ Styles at WWE Crown Jewel this coming weekend. He’s then booked for RAW at Boston’s TD Garden on November 10, RAW from Madison Square Garden in NYC on November 17, and the 39th annual Survivor Series on November 29 in San Diego. Cena will work his last match on December 13 at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, DC. Gunther is rumored to be Cena’s final opponent, while Dominik Mysterio has also been discussed for a match.

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Paul “Triple H” Levesque was an in-ring legend and one of the most remarkable heels in WWE history. Today, the 56-year-old has transitioned into a full-time backstage role and is the Chief Content Officer of the Stamford-based company, and is in charge of how matches are booked on the main roster.

Speaking on the Wrestling Observer, renowned journalist Dave Meltzer discussed Triple H’s potential successors. Meltzer brought up three currently active wrestlers who could very similarly transition into backstage roles. All of them are believed to have a strong relationship with the WWE CCO, and two of them are reigning World Champions of the promotion’s flagship shows.

Dave Meltzer Speculates On WWE CCO Triple H’s Potential Successors

Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins have had a long-standing relationship with Triple H, with Rhodes being the Undisputed WWE Champion on SmackDown and Rollins carrying the World Heavyweight Championship on RAW. They are scheduled to lock horns at Crown Jewel: Perth this Saturday for the eponymous championship.

The American Nightmare returned to WWE in 2022 and has since been heavily pushed as the flagbearer of the sports entertainment capital. According to Meltzer, he is an ideal candidate with the right dose of politics. The veteran journalist noted that Rhodes can surpass The King of Kings. He also wondered if The Visionary could carry the company forward.

Dave Meltzer also name-dropped CM Punk, whom he feels has the potential to take over as the Head of Creative, despite Punk being an outsider for most of his wrestling career.

I don’t know Cody or Punk as a booker, or even Rollins. […] You just don’t know until a guy is in that position, what their booking instincts would be,” Dave Meltzer said.

“The thing with Cody is, from a political–he says the right things, he does the right things, you know–as far as media and everything, he’ll be better than Levesque [Triple H] by a lot.” He then proceeded to back his comments, “You can see when they’re asked tough questions on those press conferences. Cody always has a good answer. It doesn’t say a lot, but it’s a good answer. And Paul, you know, doesn’t always have a good answer.”

Who could succeed Triple H as head of creative?https://t.co/dvWPW0BwONpic.twitter.com/ZDlvi25rf5

— Wrestling Observer (@WONF4W) October 5, 2025

After a decade, CM Punk returned to WWE in late 2023. He has shown interest in succeeding Shawn Michaels as the creative head in NXT. As for Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, both men are at the top of their game today, with each one holding their own as the company’s best representation. Both of them have also shown an aptitude in donning the role of creative/booker.

Only time will tell if either of these stars will go on to hold prominent backstage roles in the Stamford-based company.

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