It looks like the EVPs of AEW aren’t as powerful as they once were.
Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net is reporting that AEW President Tony Khan has essentially taken away creative control from the men who serve as EVPs in addition to being wrestlers for the company.
These include Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks and reigning AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.
The report notes that while the aforementioned talents, along with others in the company, are encouraged to pitch creative ideas for themselves or others, however Khan will ultimately have the final say in the creative direction of the promotion.
At one point, Cody was the only EVP to reportedly attend office meetings on a regular basis and was involved heavily in the creative end of things, however that role has greatly diminished.
For their parts, Matt Jackson of The Young Bucks worked with his wife Dana on merchandise for the company, while Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks focused his EVP duties on all things related to the Being The Elite digital series. Kenny Omega, meanwhile, put a lot of his EVP focus into the AEW Games division and helping put together matches for the women’s division.
One source describe the aforementioned members of The Elite as “EVPs in name only in 2021.” Another source claims Cody in particular has little-to-no relationship with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega these days. The Bucks and Omega remain good friends, however it is said that Cody is “very much on the outside looking in.”
Khan told the Associated Press earlier this month that he feels AEW gets more successful the more he gets hands-on-involved.
“I’ve found the company has gotten stronger the more I take on,” Khan said. “And I think the fans would agree with that. The really hardcore fans would actually really agree with that. The people who know, know the more hands-on I got about everything, the company has gotten a lot stronger.”
