Pro wrestling and sports entertainment is a wild world, but there are still headlines that catch audiences off guard. One of those was announced Friday, when WWE hired a senior director of creative strategy to explore ways to incorporate artificial intelligence into storytelling and content creation. Yes, AI is coming to the world of sports entertainment, and fans and viewers should be wary.
Cyrus Kowsari was hired as senior director of creative strategy in early October. Wrestling Observer’s Dave Mettlezer reported on this hire and what it could potentially mean for WWE’s creative process.
Levesque (Triple H) said that Kousari will lead WWE’s transition to AI-based storytelling and integrate AI into creative services such as video and graphics. He said this change is inevitable when it comes to pro wrestling creative. Kousari said he will be the liaison to the White House to manage AI storytelling and Levesque will take on more duties in the political arena in some capacity. WWE has signed a deal with Writer AI, a platform it already has a contract with. Provided WWE content. ”
The news didn’t end there, as Meltzer’s report included information about pitches generated through the AI platform. The pitch involved Bobby Lashley, who signed with All Elite Wrestling in September 2024, rejoining the company, and is obsessed with Japanese culture and history. While it is alarming and impossible, no one would be surprised if WWE simultaneously featured black performers on a show that was insensitive to multiple minority communities.
Whether we like it or not, AI is here to stay, and its impact will continue to be felt in many ways. AI content creation is already a reality. Just visit any major social media platform and you’ll see healthy videos, photos, and written content created by AI platforms like ChatGPT. While some of these applications are aimed at streamlining work and improving outcomes, there are growing concerns that companies will continue to look to AI as a tool to eliminate human staff to improve profits. Remember how Endeavor and TKO are trying to squeeze profits out of WWE the same way the UFC is? This is another move in that effort.
What makes professional wrestling and sports entertainment so powerful is its ability to elicit emotion from fans, viewers, and even the performers in the ring. Think back to when Kofi Kingston won the WWE Championship, when “Hangman” Adam Page defeated Jon Moxley, when Mercedes Mohn and Bianca Belair faced off in the main event of WrestleMania, and more. All of those moments were accompanied by emotions that everyone involved and witness will remember.
This is where the introduction of AI becomes an issue. AI cannot recreate the emotion that is essential to creating moments like this in art. This is not just a problem in sports entertainment, but in all areas of arts and entertainment. The push and rush to implement AI has led to strikes that are impacting movies, television, and video games. Unfortunately, those in the professional wrestling and sports entertainment industries do not have the same collective bargaining opportunities, so they will have less opportunity to resist this move.
There’s a lot to think about with this news that WWE is looking to utilize AI for content and story development. The perception online is that WWE’s product is already suffering from a creative standpoint, and the introduction of AI won’t leave much to be excited about. This isn’t good news, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been following TKO and Endeavor’s moves in the business.
