F4W: Huge shakeup for Raw/SDL lead writers, Ward out

[Deleted]

Meltzer with a big scoop.

There has been a shake up in the writing teams of WWE television today, which has been brewing for some time.

Ryan Ward, who had been the lead writer for SmackDown, is out, officially called a personal leave. In recent weeks the SmackDown scripts have been heavily edited by Vince McMahon and it was known some type of change on the SmackDown side was inevitable.

Ed Koskey, who had been the head writer of Raw, is being moved to SmackDown, and will be working with Eric Bischoff. Koskey has been with the company for more than 18 years and has been a key writer for more than a decade and is currently Vice President of Creative Writing.

The writing teams for Raw and SmackDown are being split before the official talent split comes the second week of October.

Jonathan Baeckstrom has taken over as the lead writer for Raw. He will work under Paul Heyman. Baeckstrom had been the lead writer for 205 Live since November 2016, although he had been moved from the show when Heyman brought him in when he started being in charge of Raw.

www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/shakeup-lead-writers-wwe-raw-and-smackdown-291751

[Nosnorb]

When Vince demands rewrites an hour before the show, does any of this matter?

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

I know Ward got a lot of kudos for the run of SmackDown in the first few months of the new Brand Split (July 2016 to about February 2017, when Road Dogg started getting pinned with a lot of critique even though he was apparently there the whole time), but with how much of a micromanager Vince is understood to be, it's hard to go "Well, that was ALL him and no Vince". Vince doesn't just micromanage the bad stuff.

Either way, hopefully he gets the rest he needs and can either come back recharged or find a job with more stability.

[cabbageboy]

This isn't totally shocking. SD of late has felt slapdash and a bit incoherent with the entire Reigns/Bryan/Rowan deal. Whether that's just the Vince rewrites or Ward is hard to say.

[The Summer of Muskrat XVII]

I saw the Ward thing coming. Hunter’s high on him, so i doubt he’s gone unless it’s his own call

[Joe Neglia]

99% certain this is what Alvarez was alluding to.

[EyeofTyr]

Yeah, this is non-news to me as long as Vince McMahon is alive and in control of the WWE.

[Bub (BLM)]

Did Koskey work with Bischoff a lot when he was just a performer from 02-05? I was just thinking he may have a good rapport with Eric hence the move.

[TWERKIN' MAGGLE]

Isn't Ed Koskey the idiot who thought that giving Daniel Bryan a losing streak in 2011 after winning MITB was the key to success?

[häšhtå.gdālėÿ]

What’s the timeline of 205Live? About when did it turn from fun characters into SRS guys who wrestle good?

[Deleted]

Sept 4, 2019 22:07:21 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

I know Ward got a lot of kudos for the run of SmackDown in the first few months of the new Brand Split (July 2016 to about February 2017, when Road Dogg started getting pinned with a lot of critique even though he was apparently there the whole time), but with how much of a micromanager Vince is understood to be, it's hard to go "Well, that was ALL him and no Vince". Vince doesn't just micromanage the bad stuff.

But making fun of Road Dogg was funny when the shit hit the fan.

[TWERKIN' MAGGLE]

Sept 4, 2019 23:20:51 GMT -5 häšhtå.gdālėÿ said:

What’s the timeline of 205Live? About when did it turn from fun characters into SRS guys who wrestle good?

Like immediately after Enzo was fired, so late 2018.

[Deleted]

Sept 4, 2019 23:20:51 GMT -5 häšhtå.gdālėÿ said:

What’s the timeline of 205Live? About when did it turn from fun characters into SRS guys who wrestle good?

One of the strangest things is that Vince was apparently writing 205 when it was at it's peak. And it was fire.

[xxshoyuweeniexx]

Sept 4, 2019 23:20:51 GMT -5 häšhtå.gdālėÿ said:

What’s the timeline of 205Live? About when did it turn from fun characters into SRS guys who wrestle good?

Pretty much once Enzo got accused and then was let go. The 205 Live that took place a day after that awful Raw 25 show.

[Bo Rida]

Sept 4, 2019 22:07:21 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

I know Ward got a lot of kudos for the run of SmackDown in the first few months of the new Brand Split (July 2016 to about February 2017, when Road Dogg started getting pinned with a lot of critique even though he was apparently there the whole time), but with how much of a micromanager Vince is understood to be, it's hard to go "Well, that was ALL him and no Vince". Vince doesn't just micromanage the bad stuff.

Either way, hopefully he gets the rest he needs and can either come back recharged or find a job with more stability.

He was also head writer during one of NXT's peaks. We can't know for sure he was responsible for the good stuff but him heading up the writing during two of the best periods of recent years that both dipped when he left/had less power suggests he probably was.

[Mayonnaise]

This is stuff like I was talking about when the Fox deal was revealed, SmackDown becoming the new A show. USA has always been great to them and probably will be as long as the can average over 2million viewers a week but being on broadcast TV like Fox is huge. Raw won't be forgotten or left behind but the good shit is going to be going down on SmackDown.

[Tenshigure]

Sept 4, 2019 23:22:27 GMT -5 TWERKIN' MAGGLE said:

Sept 4, 2019 23:20:51 GMT -5 häšhtå.gdālėÿ said:

What’s the timeline of 205Live? About when did it turn from fun characters into SRS guys who wrestle good?

Like immediately after Enzo was fired, so late 2018.

You mean early 2018, Enzo was gone by the end of January just before the Royal Rumble that year.

I'll never forgive him for taking away our Patron Saint of PowerPoint Presentations...

[Bub (BLM)]

Sept 5, 2019 1:14:43 GMT -5 Tenshigure said:

Sept 4, 2019 23:22:27 GMT -5 TWERKIN' MAGGLE said:

Like immediately after Enzo was fired, so late 2018.

You mean early 2018, Enzo was gone by the end of January just before the Royal Rumble that year.

I'll never forgive him for taking away our Patron Saint of PowerPoint Presentations...

I still don't know why they dropped that. You would think that ANYTHING getting over on 205 would be a win, but they do stupid crap like Gallagher's heel turn and the return of SRS Drew Gulak. Doesnt make a lick of sense.

[Deleted]

Reading this, these moves make a lot of sense. You have the experienced, trusted guy going to the 'new' show to work with Bischoff in his go between/Producer role and the less experienced guy to go and work under the creative Heyman, hopefully to be brought on.

Now this is WWE creative so we know none of that will pan out that way, but at least it STARTS with some logic.

[Mozenrath]

Sept 4, 2019 23:15:00 GMT -5 TWERKIN' MAGGLE said:

Isn't Ed Koskey the idiot who thought that giving Daniel Bryan a losing streak in 2011 after winning MITB was the key to success?

It's a weird tact they like to do. I remember when Edge won the first MITB, it felt like he ended up spinning his wheels a lot or losing some matches you'd expect him to win because I feel like they wanted us to not think about him and the briefcase as factors until he actually cashed in.