MR. TITO TOLD YOU SO: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Used in WWE, Wyatt Family, Pat McAfee, Triple H Contract Extension, and More

It has been a while since I created a new column theme. I started out with the “Phat Daily Column” during 1999 and transitioned that into the “Wrath of Tito” during 2002. When I came back from retirement, I wrote blogs called “Blog is Tito” during 2010 and converted those into “Mr. Tito Strikes Back” columns. I also wrote top 10 columns called “The Tito 10” or something like that, while also writing historical pieces called “On this Day in Pro Wrestling History…”.

For today, I declare on May 1st, 2026, I shall create a new themed column called Mr. Tito TOLD YOU SO. Why? Because you know what, I’m tired of idiot know-it-all marks or Tito wannabes trying to personally attack the opinions of a wrestling fan for almost 40 years and a columnist for almost 30 years. I have written over 5,000 columns that were well researched and with facts backing my opinions. I don’t need marks, who don’t have the courage to write their own columns (you know, since writing these are so easy!), to lie about my columns and refuse to accept facts.

Hence forth, the “Told You So” shall be occasionally appearing to set the record straight and possibly call out those who are wrong.

Now, if you’re one of the many thousands of page views who are reading this without any conflict, let it be known that I appreciate you and the “told you so” isn’t aimed at you. Thus, enjoy the column as usual.

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TOLD YOU SO #1 – WWE is indeed using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Creative.

Now, I’m not a fan of Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer. He’s a bias news journalist who prefers wrestling from Japan and California independent promotions, while literally hating everybody else and getting in stupid Twitter/X fights about it. His undying love for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is a complete joke.

BUT – He does contact WWE’s corporate offices regularly, he does talk to WWE employees regularly, and has been successfully writing a newsletter for 40 years.

During October 2025, Dave reported that WWE was using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help with storylines. Honestly, it wasn’t that big of a deal as a news byte, but for some reason, diehard WWE fans were in complete denial. It’s as if they have never set foot into a corporation before who is ALWAYS trying to find way to reduce labor expenses, and incorporating more automation has been their game for years. If you look at the many job cuts for the past few years, it has been as a result of a company incorporating more AI. That’s just a fact. But for some reason, WWE fans just couldn’t accept that the TKO corporation would encourage the WWE Creative Team to review reports.

However, little did the WWE marks know was that WWE Creative had been reading reports from the analytics team for decades now, as they are computing statistics on what storylines generate reactions or merchandise sales versus ones that don’t. Now, it’s likely that AI is helping to (a) crunch the statistics and (b) create reports for WWE Creative to review.

Also during October 2025, I wrote a column explaining AI, how it’s probably used in the WWE, and how it could adversely affect creative and employment in the WWE. You may read the column by CLICKING HERE.

But you could also read the comments section, which was pretty embarrassing especially in light of recently posted news just 7 months later:

Sixteen23: “You jumped the gun on this one quite a bit.”

GreaselessBacon: “No, you’re biting at whatever Meltzer feeds you.”

John: “this should be your last article.. You took a false story and ran with it..”

Joe Cirillo: “The story, reported by Dave Meltzer, has already been debunked as to how WWE utilizes AI creatively. Basing an entire article on the false reporting of Dave Meltzer as fact is quite embarrassing which puts your naivety on full display.”

Mike: “(Quoting Billy Madison) Tito what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this thread is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul”

Then, on Monday 4/27, TKO COO Mark Shapiro confirmed WWE’s usage of AI by saying, and I quote: ”Nick Khan and Triple H are using AI for storylines with the WWE. 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.”.

Ohhhhhh, how them apples? Straight from TKO’s own Chief Operating Officer. Y’all owe me and Dave Meltzer an apology.

Now, go to any news site and just do a search on “corporations implementing AI” and you’ll see millions of stories on it, most of which could have been written by AI. All corporations are implementing this stuff for efficiencies and reducing labor expenses.

And trust me on this one, folks… AI infused with analytics told Creative how to book Wrestlemania and which wrestlers to release afterward.

You can keep insisting that only human beings sitting around a table are crafting storylines, but the fact remains that TKO would rather invest in AI systems versus expanding the creative team or retaining all of them. They’ve lost a few creative employees and never replaced them. Gee, why is that?

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TOLD YOU SO #2 – Triple H has been extended with WWE.

All of these dumbass calls online by wrestling fans for “Triple H to be fired”. Ooops internet, you were WRONG! TKO just gave Triple H a contract extension!

Fact is, and I’ve said this repeatedly, is that Triple H is BETTER at Creative during his 50s than Vince McMahon was in his 60s or 70s. Just a fact, in particular those 2010s years when Vince McMahon micro-managed everything and gave the dumbest gimmicks to anyone called-up from the farm system. Then, you had an inexperienced Roman Reigns shoved down our throats and headlining Wrestlemania with awful matches.

Go ahead and give me the line that Vince “created the Bloodline”. Maybe he did, but it’s drawing power multiplied once Sami Zayn was added to the group. Besides, Roman improved because he had Paul Heyman in his ear and teaching him how to cut promos or work matches.

Since HHH took over during June 2022, WWE’s numbers have shot up. Viewership across the board, attendance, merchandise, etc. His success allowed for WWE to score big deals with Netflix and ESPN.

Now, Triple H is dealing with TKO micro-managing him, at times, and demanding changes to please them (like inserting Pat McAfee into Wrestlemania 42), but the roster is happier without Vince and more stars are getting over than every instead of just a few with Vince.

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TOLD YOU SO #3 – The Wyatt Family

I want to emphasize strongly that I’m terribly sorry to the Rotunda/Windham family for the loss of the man behind the Bray Wyatt and Husky Harris characters, Windham Rotunda. For everything that I’ve heard about the guy, he was well liked by everyone and I believe he had several glimpses with greatness. It’s a complete shame that he passed away so young.

My issue is that WWE Creative did a poor job with him, while also letting Bray go off the rails on a few promos or character decisions. If you go from 2017 and beyond with that Orton feud during Wrestlemania and right after that, things went downhill. Then, we get the no-selling Fiend character who can survive being burned to a crisp. Bray and his Wyatt Family had some good moments here and there, but just went overboard on the mystical stuff. Yeah, Undertaker did mysterious stuff too, but he started drawing when he did less of that stuff and feuded with Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, and Triple H.

The Wyatt Family was repeatedly tried and repackaged, but ultimately, it might have been too weird for audiences and just didn’t produce any WOW matches that people still replay to this day. Personally, I thought that Luke Harper was the most talented in-ring guy from the group, yet WWE didn’t respect that and later let him join AEW where he thrived until sadly passing away. Go watch his PLE match with Randy Orton, as it was amazing and showed the real potential of that guy. Bray had a few injuries which slowed him down as a performer and then no-selling as the Fiend made things worse for him. I still don’t understand what happened with that Wrestlemania when Alexa Bliss came out for that weird distraction.

Yet, here I was during the NoDQ Great Debate from October 2020 articulating these very points against Virtue who thought everything that Bray Wyatt did was fantastic. So did the NoDQ fans in the chat, as the round talking about Bray Wyatt was the only round that I lost, by votes, in my 2-1 victory over Virtue. Yet, here we are over 5 years later, and I was correct on my debate stances about the Wyatt Family. And NOT because Bray Wyatt passed away, but because his Fiend gimmick just never materialized even when he briefly came back. That Royal Rumble match against LA Knight was a complete disaster, as Uncle Howdy missed landing on LA Knight from the big balcony spot by like 3 feet. The Wyatt 6 later debuted after Windham Rotunda passed and just after a few weeks, WWE Creative got bored with them too.

Sadly, they’ve all been released… But it proves my point that BAD CREATIVE can ruin a GOOD WRESTLER. I’ve seen Bo Dallas wrestle multiple times and he’s not bad… However, he’s stuck in that Uncle Howdy gimmick. Here’s a similar example… Stardust for Cody Rhodes. Did that work for him or was he better off wrestling as himself?

I’ve heard it for years on how “great” the Wyatt family is… No, they were great wrestlers, but suffered from bad creative ideas. That’s the TRUTH of the matter.

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TOLD YOU SO #4 – Pat McAfee on Wrestlemania 42

We’re almost a month away from Pat McAfee being inserted into Wrestlemania 42 and literally, nobody cares that he was even involved. Most want to forget that Night #1 of Wrestlemania 42 even existed!

However, I was lectured by the NoDQ Review crew and others online that I wasn’t allowed to have an opinion about Pat McAfee being randomly inserted into a Wrestlemania main event feud despite NOT working as a babyface yet and having ZERO ties to either Randy Orton or Cody Rhodes. Randy Orton had a “mystery caller” and that could have been a whole host of people who have worked with him in some capacity. Reportedly, WWE Creative wanted Aleister Black in that role but were later handed marching orders from TKO’s executives, one of which is the actual agent of Pat, to insert Pat McAfee into this storyline afterward. Excuse me, the “next Sylvester Stallone”.

Yeah, I know that Sylvester Stallone talks kind of funny, but could Pat McAfee write a script like Sly did for Rocky #1 that won an Academy Award? Pat is great at podcasting and being funny on camera to talk sports, but doing movies is an entirely different thing.

Even better, those who are questioning US for requesting logic for Pat McAfee’s insertion are now attacking fans, again, because the proposed Orton/Pat vs. Jelly Roll/Cody Rhodes match has been cancelled. Seriously, you actually wanted that match? You’re the type of marks that probably got off on Jay Leno wrestling at WCW Road Wild 1998 or David Arquette winning the WCW Title during 2000. You cease having credibility with your opinions when you are crying about a mixed tag match involving celebrities being cancelled.

But again, here we are, 1 month later, and nobody cares or remembers Pat McAfee’s ill-fated heel turn. There was ZERO storyline logic to it and clearly had TKO’s management meddling to make it happen.

“Next Sylvester Stallone”, give me a break!

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TOLD YOU SO #5 – WWE Developmental Sucks

Many try to call me out for praising Triple H overseeing the Creative Team, yet they always overlook how I’m hammering the Game for not being that strong with Talent Relations. Specifically, Talent Development…

It’s a FACT that Jim Ross and John Laurinaitis created MORE long-term Main Event stars from their days overseeing Talent Relations than Triple H ever did. HHH has Kevin Owens and Walter as his crowning achievements? Jim Ross has Edge, Christian, Austin, Foley, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, John Cena, Batista, and Kane while John Laurinaitis initially signed Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, CM Punk, and Daniel Bryan. Best HHH can do is sign free agents from other promotions or wrestlers who left the WWE and got better elsewhere (Drew and Cody are prime examples).

It all boils down to Triple H wanting wrestlers to be dark and brooding like his own character, while foolishly having Prince Albert as his lead trainer who had no charisma, personality, or mic skills himself as a wrestler to teach to others. Shawn Michaels is naturally gifted as a performer and just can’t communicate how he did it to other wrestlers.

WWE has released so many signed potential wrestlers and many wrestlers signed under Triple H. If you look at Wrestlemania 42, it was headlined by Orton (Ross) vs. Cody (Laurinaitis) and CM Punk (Laurinaitis) vs. Roman (Laurinaitis). By the way, on the undercard, Brock Lesnar (Ross) was defeated by Oba Femi (Laurinaitis). That’s right, ol’ Johnny Ace signed Oba Femi and he also signed Tiffany Stratton and Bron Breakker during that 2020 to early 2022 timeframe when Triple H was stripped of his duties overseeing Talent Relations.

Been telling you so for YEARS about this!

If you want my opinion, Triple H should re-hire Jim Ross once his AEW deal expires this Summer and let him oversee Talent Relations as a consultant. HHH would look smart by doing it and he should encourage Ross to teach WWE management his ways.

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LAST WORD: I hope that you enjoyed the first edition of “Mr. Tito Told You So”. Now you watch, those who were called out in this column will go absolutely ballistic and that will just validate how right I was on previously discussed topics. Their anger unmasks who they really are…

Folks, I’m been a wrestling fan for almost 40 years and been writing about it for almost 30 years. Show so damn respect towards a person who knows his stuff, has credibly written thousands of columns, and turns out to be right often on serious wrestling discussions. But then if you piss me off and personally attack me, I seek retribution because I believe that revenge is a dish best served cold.

If this column made you personally mad, that’s your fault. Don’t show rage at wrestling opinions posted online and you’ll be OK.

So just chill until the next episode!

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ