TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro has addressed WWE using AI, specifically in storylines.
On April 28, TKO held a town hall to address those in WWE about a number of topics as the company moves forward into the summer. Audio from the conversation has been obtained via POST Wrestling, who have also posted transcripts of the more newsworthy comments.
Regarding the use of artificial intelligence, Shapiro noted that WWE is using AI software, and was positive about the impact it has on the company:
“Nick Khan and Triple H are using AI for storylines with the WWE,” Shapiro said. “What’s resonating? What superstars are resonating? In what pockets of the country are they resonating? That helps us with, obviously, our content, our editorial, our creative, our mapping, our touring, and of course, maximizing revenue and getting our product out to the fans most in need of it.”
TKO Chief Financial Officer Andrew Schleimer also spoke at the town hall about the use of AI. Schleimer stated that they’ve “only run tests and pilots” and are “still in the early stages.” Schleimer added that the use of AI has been for data and analytics on WWE and UFC consumers, as well as “minor uses to enhance broadcasts.”
Back in October 2025, Dave Meltzer published in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that AI was being implemented into WWE. Although follow-up reports claimed that it was part of productivity and research as opposed to replacing creativity, Shapiro’s comments appear to be the opposite.
An update on the upcoming Night of Champions PLE, scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia on June 27, was also provided following recent uncertainty. WWE President Nick Khan confirmed that they would only be travelling to the Kingdom if it was safe to do so, adding that no Raw or SmackDown tapings would take place in the country.
Analysis – WWE Admits To Using AI
WWE confirming that they are using AI for more than productivity is not an update that will please many fans. Although AI is supposed to make certain processes simpler and can increase productivity when done right, using the software for creative aspects of business has often resulted in backlash. Many computer-generated graphics have been dubbed “AI slop” online and may have driven away customers.
While some smaller companies have utilised AI to try and cut costs or make a role redundant altogether, WWE is famously not short on money. With the top executives receiving multi-million dollar payouts and records still being broken, this is not a business who needs to use AI to ensure they don’t make a loss.
Given some of the creative misfires in WWE recently, some have questioned if the storylines were AI-generated. While these comments were made in jest at first, it appears that some of the more infamous content may have been created by modern technology.
Featured image: WWE
