Shawn Michaels is expected to take over Bruce Prichard’s role in WWE.
PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that WWE plans to promote from within, and according to multiple sources, the plan is for Michaels, the head of WWE NXT and Senior Vice President of Talent Development and Creative, to essentially step into Prichard’s current role.
The succession plan has been in place for some time, and Michaels will start preparing for the job in the months ahead, according to the report.
Prichard, WWE’s Executive Director of Creative Writing & Talent, is expected to retire from the position after WrestleMania 43 next April, PWInsider first reported on Monday. He is expected to stay connected to the company as a consultant, working from his home in Texas. One source told PWInsider there could be some leeway on the timing.
WWE’s writing teams for Raw, SmackDown and NXT currently fall under Prichard in the company’s creative hierarchy, per PWInsider’s earlier report.
Michaels, 61, took over NXT in September 2021 and is close with WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. The WWE Hall of Famer retired from the ring in 2010 and has wrestled once since, at WWE Crown Jewel in Riyadh in 2018.
Prichard is also set to have neck surgery. Conrad Thompson said on 83 Weeks that the injury dates back to 1991, when the Ultimate Warrior attacked Prichard’s Brother Love character during a WWF Superstars taping, and that Prichard only recently learned how serious it was. WWE has not announced any changes.
We wish Bruce Prichard a full recovery.
