WWE’s creative hierarchy has shifted as the company moves through early 2026, with Ryan Ward taking on a more central role while the co-head writers of SmackDown have reportedly seen a slight decrease in influence.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the creative team is organized into the following breakdown:
- Paul “Triple H” Levesque: Serves as the primary driver of the shows.
- Bruce Prichard & Ed Koskey: Both weigh in on creative decisions while managing company-wide information distribution.
- Ryan Ward: Recently received a “little push” and is now in charge of handling all creative pitches to Levesque. Ward is reportedly overseeing the creative agenda for both Raw and SmackDown.
- Raw Co-Lead Writers: Jonathan Baeckstrom and Alexandra Williams lead the red brand.
- SmackDown Co-Lead Writers: John Swikata and Brian “Road Dogg” James continue as lead writers but have reportedly received a “little push down” following issues with SmackDown creative that are said to have since improved. Ward has been picking up much of the slack for the blue brand.
- Additional Consultants: William Regal and Michael Hayes remain involved in the process.
Michael Hayes, a veteran producer and Vice President of Creative Writing & Booking, was featured in the Netflix docuseries WWE Unreal. While internal sources acknowledge his meaningful creative contributions, some noted it was a “shame” he came off poorly in the series.
The show aimed for transparency by “pulling back the curtain” on match planning and the “Gorilla position”. Hayes was shown providing insight alongside other executives like Koskey and Prichard, though some viewers found the series’ portrayal of behind-the-scenes emotions to be polarizing.
SmackDown officially returned to a three-hour format on January 2, 2026. This mirrors a pattern from 2025, where the show ran for three hours from January to July before reverting to two hours. Reports suggest the show is expected to follow a similar temporary format in 2026, likely returning to two hours by this summer.
