AEW Hires Former WWE Senior Writer, Soap Opera Producer As VP Of Content Development
All Elite Wrestling has made a number of significant signings already in 2024 when it comes to their in-ring roster, but now they have added a major name to their staff behind the scenes.
As confirmed by Sports Illustrated, former WWE senior writer Jennifer Pepperman has signed with AEW, where she has assumed the role of the company's Vice President of Content Development. Pepperman will work beside Tony Khan, where she will focus on producing content for live programming. Pepperman recently left her position as a senior writer and producer for WWE after nearly seven years with the company. Dave Meltzer wrote in a recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Pepperman's main focus was the Smackdown women's division, and that it was her decision to leave the company. It has also been well-documented that Pepperman has a very strong relationship with former WWE star Sasha Banks, better known today as Mercedes Mone, who is heavily rumored to be joining All Elite Wrestling in March at the "Big Business" TV special the company is running on March 13 in Mone's hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.
Not only is Pepperman known for her work in WWE, but she has also worked extensively on TV dramas and soap operas. She has won three Daytime Emmy Awards throughout her career for her work on shows like "As The World Turns," "One Life To Live," and "After Forever." After hearing the news of her exit from WWE, current "Raw" General Manager Adam Pearce put out a message on his X (formerly known as Twitter) account on February 15 wishing Pepperman the best of luck in the future and stated how much he enjoyed working with her.
Tony Khan releases a statement
With such a big backstage acquisition, AEW CEO Tony Khan released a statement to Soap Opera Network following the news of Pepperman joining the company.
"Adding Jennifer Pepperman's brilliant mind to the AEW team opens the door for exciting new ideas and will help us build upon the incredible stories currently developing on the road to AEW Revolution across our three weekly shows on TBS and TNT, and the effects of Jennifer's arrival in AEW will be felt for many years in the future," Khan said. "We're thrilled to welcome her today, and I look forward to her creativity and collaboration with our team across the board in what will be AEW's biggest year yet, and beyond."
With the news of Pepperman's hiring coming on the day of their weekly Wednesday night show, "AEW Dynamite," it's unclear at the time of writing if Pepperman will be involved in the writing process, or any production related jobs for the February 21 edition of "Dynamite," or the February 23 edition of "AEW Rampage" which will be taped immediately after. However, it looks as if Pepperman will be a big part in All Elite Wrestling's creative direction going forward.