Creative control has been a hot topic in professional wrestling.
You’ll see it all over social media.
“Mercedes Hogan. Becky Hogan. Rhea Hogan.” Wuite honestly you see it with a disproportionate amount targeted towards women these days, which speaks volumes in its own.
However, there’s a lot of misconceptions regarding what creative control actually is.
I realize many fans don’t quite understand the concept of creative input vs. creative control because there haven’t really been any instances of it in wrestling the last decade or so. Nobody in AEW has it, I’ve heard of no one having it in WWE, and nobody has it in the likes of New Japan, TNA or MLW.
What is creative control in wrestling?
Creative control is contractual. Hulk Hogan had it in his contract in WCW, TNA, and likely did in his returns in 05/06 in WWF. He claims he never used it, but he lied (shocker!). Eric Bischoff said that Hogan only exercised it once. Jeff Jarrett stated publicly that Hogan exercised it in TNA to be all over the TV. It is widely suspected as the reason that Shawn Michaels had to go heel in 2005 to face (and lose) to Hogan, and why Randy Orton lost to Hulk Hogan in 06.
There are even articles online from heavily trafficked outlets incorrectly outlining what creative control actually is, and just listing instances of when people turned down creative pitches. That’s not what creative control is. That’s just freedom to reject a general idea in your career. Anyone can do that. They’re not forced, they’re not prisoners.
However, as outlined before, it’s contractual. Meaning if it’s exercised, that is what is happening, otherwise the threat of a contract breach and a grounds for a pretty open and shut lawsuit exists. This is exactly what happened after WCW Bash at the Beach 1999 when Hogan was swerved out of a creative situation that he wanted to do. Hogan filed a lawsuit and eventually got a settlement. A number of talent and bookers have spoken openly about how crippling that can be to booking, with just the looming threat of what would happen if Hogan’s way didn’t happen. As the mere existence of creative control in wrestling can affect things in the favor of talent possessing it.
There was another instance of creative control in wrestling, and that was Bret Hart’s “reasonable” creative control. Much like anything in pro wrestling, “reasonable is subjective,” and that led to him refusing to put Shawn Michaels over at Survivor Series, leading to the Montreal Screwjob and the end of a decade-plus relationship between WWF and Hart. Hart didn’t want to lose the WWF Title to Shawn Michaels in Hart’s home country of Canada, leading to Hart then exercising the “reasonable creative control.” As a result, Michaels, Vince McMahon, Triple H and referee Earl Hebner conspired to “screw” Bret Hart out of the title.
Creative control is 0 for 2.
Creative input is just that -- you have input on the direction of your character as most creators would want. Some certainly have more sway than others, but it isn't contractual in nature and it's not as easy to force a promoter or booker's hand.
What are we seeing now?
With the “Becky, Mercedes Rhea Hogan” situations is a push. A sustained push with wrestlers winning matches. Now I know a lot of you didn’t grow up on that with the days Vince McMahon’s waning sanity, four rematches in a row, 50/50 booking, and the loser “getting their heat back” by beating up the person who just won. But winning matches, lots of them, consecutively, helps many talent get over.
Mercedes Mone, in a “street journalism” interview that was later sold to TMZ, said that she had creative control. This often is shared, but lacks some important context. The person interviewing her asked “if she has the creative control she’s always wanted” now that she’s in AEW. The actual interviewer misunderstood creative control. There were never reports, quotes or indications that Mercedes asked for or angled for creative control clauses in any contracts. There were creative disputes between she and Vince McMahon, but creative control never came up in any reports. I have covered hundreds of Mercedes stories. She either misspoke, or was in character, which is what an AEW official claimed as well..She had the literal title over her shoulder. She’s the “CEO,” for crying out loud.
Immediately I asked about this within AEW and I was outright told no wrestler has creative control or will ever in AEW. Even expanding, I was told she’s not even been approached about losing to someone in AEW. They’ve been building to a major match for All In since last year, and it hasn’t been a broached subject. We were told that she’d be fine losing if that’s what the story called for.
Let’s look past that. Fightful has reported behind the scenes that Mercedes has wanted the Renegade sisters with her on the air. That hasn’t happened months and months later. If she had creative control, it would have. OR ELSE!!
Beyond that, she holds titles in CMLL, RevPro, EWA, – she has no contracts with those companies. They just want to book one of the best women’s talents in the world.Those that Fightful reached out to regarding Mercedes associated with those companies have said there hasn’t been power yielded in that manner, but one said “why would we book her to lose right now? That time will come.”
Then there are other questions:
What about The Beast Mortos main eventing a whopping TWICE on Dynamite since he’s publicly been in a relationship with Mercedes? You tell me what’s likelier. Claudio asked for a couple of weeks of personal time, and AEW overdelivered by having a guy who hadnt wrestled in Arena Mexico in 14 years fill in, or Mercedes demanded her boyfriend be inserted into a 10 man tag, Claudio was pulled, and they did the best job ever at keeping it quiet. I’ll just let time be kind to us on this one. He main evented the next week as the b-side of a Hangman Page match.
I received a number of other inquiries about this
“Cope has creative control!” - No. He doesn’t.
“Miro and Malakai refused to lose.” That isn’t creative control. That’s just rejecting creative. Rejecting creative, them demanding creative, and the company having to do it at the risk of breach is creative control.
“Steve Austin refused creative and left” – they are’t prisoners!
“The Rock has creative control!” - If he does, it’s the worst creative control ever, because he couldn’t stay in the main event of WrestleMania 40.
Now as I film this, it’s the week before AEW All In, I am going to ask about this publicly, the same way I have privately. Personally, I’m confused as to why people think that we wouldn’t just report if she did have creative control. That’s a far more interesting story to tell than her not.
In pro wrestling there is creative input – which every wrestler should have as a natural creator. There is rarely, if ever creative control. I hope this explanation works for you, brother.
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