WWE and NXT will reportedly get a major shakeup in their creative departments in the near future. On Tuesday, PW Insider broke the news that Bruce Pritchard would be retiring from a day-to-day role in the near future. The 63-year-old has been a key member of the promotion’s creative team, off and on, for much of the last four decades. His exit leaves a major void in WWE.

Well, a new report on Thursday revealed a legend who is set to take his place. PW Insider reports that Shawn Michaels will leave his role as NXT’s Senior Vice President of Talent Development and Creative to take over Pritchard’s duties on the main roster. The 61-year-old will be a great addition to the WWE creative process. But he leaves a big hole behind the scenes for the company’s development brand.

While Michaels won’t leave NXT immediately, his exit will come in the next few months. With that in mind, let’s take a look at who could take over as the new leader of the black-and-gold brand this winter.

Matt Bloom

The man once known as Prince Albert in WWE has been a key member of the NXT infrastructure for many years. While his primary focus is on training the stars of the future to get them ready for WWE television, he has worked closely with Michaels and the man who helped build NXT into a respected brand, Triple H.

Of the potential options to replace Michaels, Bloom is a very strong option if the company feels comfortable he can handle making the top decisions on the creative side of NXT.

William Regal

Outside of a nine-month stint in AEW, William Regal has been a fixture of the backstage structure in NXT and the main roster for much of the last two decades. The Englishman and former WWE star has played a key role in the development of many current stars. However, he also has a strong understanding of the storytelling side of the industry.

While he is the current Vice President of Global Talent Development, it would not be shocking if the company asked him to go back to Florida to shepherd their future and maintain a solid product on TV for the CW Network.

Tommy Dreamer

An intriguing name that is not currently working for WWE but has a lot of history in the company is Tommy Dreamer. The hardcore legend once served as an agent for WWE and learned a lot about TV production during his years in Extreme Championship Wrestling.

Dreamer used those skills to eventually become the head of creative for TNA for over two years. Now, the 55-year-old currently works as a voice on the WWE Sirius/XM station. He knows how the company works and has extensive experience developing creative for television. If WWE were looking for someone outside the company, he would be a good fit.

Brian James

The man once known as Road Dogg, Brian James, has a ton of experience as a member of the WWE creative team and was even the lead writer of SmackDown a couple of years ago. While the one-time member of D-Generation X and long-time friend of Triple H left the company in March, returning to oversee NXT would not be a surprise.

Steve Corino

While many WWE fans don’t know the name Steve Corino, he was one of the last great stars before ECW was purchased by WWE. What made him stand out was that while he was not a physically imposing performer, he had undeniable charisma and storytelling talent that made him a top champion in the extreme brand.

Corino has been a member of the NXT development team for several years, so he knows how things work in the black and gold brand. If Bloom isn’t promoted into Michaels’ role, Corino could be another strong internal option.