QT Marshall Reveals His Role as a Bridge Between Talent and Tony Khan

QT Marshall recently shared insights into how his role at AEW has evolved since his return to the company in February 2024.

After initially announcing his resignation in November 2023, Marshall came back to AEW in a non-wrestling capacity, regaining his position as Vice President of Show and Creative Coordination. Despite no longer being directly involved in formatting shows, which was taken over by others during his absence, Marshall’s responsibilities have shifted toward serving as a crucial bridge between the talent and AEW President Tony Khan.

During an interview with the Tapped Out Podcast Network, Marshall discussed how his current role involves filtering ideas from wrestlers before they reach Khan. He mentioned that his primary objective is to ease the burden on Khan by ensuring that only well-thought-out proposals make it through. This allows Khan to focus on key decisions without being overwhelmed by an endless stream of pitches.

Marshall emphasized that while his role may not be as visibly defined as before, he is actively involved in maintaining a smooth communication flow between the office and talent. By offering a balanced perspective from both a talent and management standpoint, he helps wrestlers navigate the often complex process of getting their ideas across. His approach is straightforward: he believes in being honest with the talent and following through on what he says.

“So, I guess show coordination is like helping out the show together I’d say. VP of creative coordination is like, I really try to be a bridge between the talent and Tony. I kind of know what Tony looks for when it comes to pitching ideas so I can kind of filter them a little bit unless the talent is just so adamant that their idea is right, then we’ll go to Tony. I didn’t really have a choice, let’s put it that way. It was like, ‘Hey, it’s time to be promoted, this what what we’re thinking.’ Okay. I think I have a lot of other responsibilities that aren’t on paper, those aren’t what I’m told I have to do, I think I just do them.

“Then there’s like always this weird question of, what does he do here? It’s like, I’m not on the computer anymore, I don’t bring my computer to work. I bring a backpack and I’m wearing an Under Armour polo with sweatpants on and it’s like, what is he doing? At the end of the day, everyone knows what I’m doing but they don’t see it. I used to walk around with a computer and format the show with Tony, a lot of that responsibility went away when I went away because we had to fill those roles. It’s not something I really clamor for but at the end of the day, a title is a title, I don’t really look at it like that. You can call me whatever you want, I know what my job is and I guess it’s really just to alleviate a lot of the pressure from Tony and filter a lot of the things because again, we have so much talents and they all want to be world champion, I get it. “

“So, how do we make that happen to where there’s not a line at the door for three and a half hours. I walk around, I talk to each talent. They all know they can trust me. I also give them a perspective as a talent but also a perspective from the office side, which is really important to be able to explain stuff to a talent and not be able to sugarcoat anything or [say], oh, I’ll find out for you. Whatever you say you’re gonna do, just do it and it’s pretty easy.”

Though no longer carrying a computer around or focusing on the technical aspects of show production, Marshall remains a vital part of AEW’s backstage operations. His experience and ability to connect with both sides of the business make him a trusted figure within the company, even if his contributions aren’t always immediately visible.

How do you think QT Marshall’s evolved role as a mediator between the talent and Tony Khan impacts AEW’s creative process? Do you believe having such a position is beneficial for maintaining a smooth operation within a wrestling promotion? Share your thoughts on the effectiveness of this approach and how it might influence the quality and innovation of AEW programming.