Eric Bischoff Admits Surprise To 'Left Turn' WWE Took At Fastlane 2023

Heading into WWE Fastlane, many pundits (including 85% of Wrestling Inc. staff) believed The Judgment Day would emerge victorious and retain their tag titles, against Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso. As the action unfolded though, the opposite outcome occurred, with WWE crowning Rhodes and Uso as the new Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions. Speaking on the "83 Weeks" podcast, former WCW President Eric Bischoff explained why he was personally surprised by this move, reiterating that he has no advanced knowledge of WWE's creative plans nowadays.

"I just assumed, I think, that Cody would be on a different kind of arc as an individual as we're leading into WrestleMania at some point soon. After the first of the year, we'll really be leading into it, but this may be a step in that journey. Who knows what's at the end of the rainbow, right? Who knows what WrestleMania is going to look like and more importantly, what the stories leading into it are ultimately going to look like. And perhaps, Jey Uso is going to be a component in that story. That obviously is, to some degree, true, but to take Cody off that kind of individual arc surprised me just a little bit," Bischoff said. "It felt like a left turn when one wasn't necessary, but it may be a left turn onto another highway to take us in a different direction leading into WrestleMania. That's what I believe to be true."

Following his victory over Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, Rhodes has been adamant about "finishing the story" and getting himself back on track to fulfill the goal he set out to achieve — becoming WWE Champion. A tag team title reign with Jey Uso, however, seems to skew that objective off-course a bit. As Bischoff points out though, Uso may be one of the pivotal factors in assisting Rhodes back to his desired position. 

If you use quotes in this article, please credit "83 Weeks" and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.