New AEW Hire Once Stood Up to Vince McMahon During WWE Tenure

AEW continues to surround its behind-the-scenes team with experienced televised wrestling talent. In just about the past year, AEW has bolstered its backstage team with Senior VP and Co-Executive Producer Mike Mansury, the man once thought to succeed longtime WWE Executive Producer Kevin Dunn, as well as veteran independent stars like Chris Hero and Jimmy Jacobs in producing roles. Just days after she departed WWE, AEW announced the signing of Jennifer Pepperman, an Emmy Award-winning writer who spent seven years working for the global leader in sports-entertainment. Pepperman holds the title of AEW Vice President of Content Development.

AEW's New VP Once Stood Up to Vince McMahon

Jennifer Pepperman is not hesitant to hold her ground.

Speaking on his Strictly Business podcast, former WWE SmackDown Executive Director Eric Bischoff reflected on his time working with Pepperman in WWE.

"I didn't work closely with Jennifer when I was in WWE back in 2019. She was not a part of my team, although that didn't really mean much because nobody really knew who was on which writing staff, there was so much discussion and transition," Bischoff said. "I got to know Jennifer and really, really liked her. I respect her work, she's got a tremendous background. She understands storytelling, she's tough. She's a very sweet person, easy to get along with, she's got a great personality and she's very outgoing."

Bischoff's last run in WWE lasted just four months, as he was fired just days after WWE SmackDown moved to FOX. This was during a time when then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, who is currently facing a sex trafficking lawsuit, had his fingerprints all over the WWE product, leaving many employees in positions of power helpless to make final decisions on their own. 

While Bischoff was subject to much of McMahon's meddling, he noted that Pepperman didn't shy away from her former boss.

"She's also tough. She's not going to be intimidated. I've watched her interact with Vince, and Vince can be very, very intimidating. I watched her stand up to Vince," Bischoff continued. "I watched her react to pressure that a lot of creative people that I've worked with in the past would've probably taken pretty hard. She digs in and does the work."

Pepperman officially began with AEW this past Wednesday and will work her first AEW pay-per-view on Sunday, March 3rd in the form of AEW Revolution.