Dave Meltzer has provided context around Mark Shapiro’s recent comments about TKO having complete control over WWE creative, revealing that while the authority exists, it is rarely used and caused serious problems when it was deployed during WrestleMania 42.
Earlier this week, comments Shapiro made to a University of Alabama class circulated online in which he stated that TKO has full creative control over WWE. Meltzer addressed the situation in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Meltzer wrote: “It was noted to us that in the end, Emanuel and Shapiro do have the final say in creative, but they almost never use it. It was said that in this situation, they used it at the most inopportune time. There was a ton of chaos regarding those on the wrestling side who didn’t want the McAfee and Jelly Roll involvement in a world title match they had been slowly building for months and how the celebrities took the focus away.”
Meltzer also reported that at least one person within WWE saw the coming conflict between TKO executives and the creative team well in advance.
“One person noted seeing the TKO Executives vs. WWE creative team battle coming for a year and said there was a lot of internal jockeying going on and that it was encouraged by Ari Emanuel and Shapiro,” Meltzer wrote.
The report adds: “It was noted to us that everyone acknowledges that at the end of the day, they have complete control, but they rarely use it and the complaint this year was that when they use it it’s at the worst time.”
This comes after the decision to insert Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll into the Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton WrestleMania 42 program, a call that originated with TKO CEO Ari Emanuel rather than WWE creative and caused internal frustration among talent who felt the celebrities undercut a months-long storyline built on the genuine mentor and student relationship between Rhodes and Orton.