Report: Shawn Michaels Expected to Succeed Bruce Prichard in WWE Creative Role After WrestleMania 43

According to PWInsider, as reported by WrestleZone, WWE is preparing a succession plan that would see Shawn Michaels move into the role currently held by Bruce Prichard after WrestleMania 43 in April 2027.

Prichard, who holds the title Executive Director of Creative Writing & Talent, is expected to step away from that full-time position following WrestleMania 43 and could remain with WWE as a consultant working from his home in Texas, the report says.

Michaels presently serves as head of NXT and Senior Vice President of Talent Development and Creative, a position he has held since September 2021. He has overseen NXT’s creative direction and its talent pipeline to WWE’s main roster. The reported plan would expand Michaels’ responsibilities to a broader creative oversight role that could encompass Raw, SmackDown and NXT duties.

The report notes the succession plan has reportedly been in place for some time and that Michaels is expected to begin preparing for the transition in the coming months. Prichard has been a long-serving WWE backstage figure since originally joining in 1987; he gained on-screen recognition as the Brother Love character and returned to WWE full-time in 2019. Since his return, Prichard has held major creative responsibilities and has filled in overseeing television production when Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque was unavailable.

WrestleZone credits PWInsider for the original reporting. No official WWE confirmation of a formal title change has been reported at this time.