Eric Bischoff On Which Two WWE Stars He Would Make The Cornerstones Of A New Wrestling Promotion
Eric Bischoff stopped by the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast last week to talk about his time running WCW, his tenure in TNA and much more.
Bischoff explained the difficulties of running a three-hour show. Some fans have clamored for the WWE to revert RAW back to a two-hour format. Bischoff said the formatting isn't very different whether it's two hours or three hours, but the main hardship is trying to hold the audience's attention for the entire show.
"Yes, that is very difficult. As I said, I don't believe I am different than your average person out there; but to sit there and watch 3 hours of wrestling, no matter how big of a wrestling fan you are, you start tuning out," Bischoff said. "You'll tune in and out depends on what is happening, but it's just too much. Can you imagine watching 3 hours of Game of Thrones, every week for 52 weeks a year? Eventually, you just get sick of no matter how much you love it, you just get sick of it. That is kind of where I am at, so yeah, 3 hours of entertaining television that will hold the audience's attention and deliver every week that is a very monumental task."
The WWE recently announced the return of two WCW innovations, Starrcade and War Games. Bischoff said he doesn't have a problem with the WWE using bringing back mainstays of WCW because they have every right to do so while they own the intellectual property. Bischoff also said he likes the fact that a new generation of fans would be introduced to something they probably haven't seen before.
"Everything changes with time, and WWE owns that intellectual property; as we see on the WWE Network that they are monetizing it on the WWE Network and exposing that content, which quite honestly, there are wrestling fans now that had never heard of WCW, or Starrcade, or War Games;," Bischoff said. "They were too young or weren't wrestling fans at the time; so there are a whole new generation of fans that are becoming familiar with sports entertainment, at least WCW's role in it that hadn't heard of it before, so it only makes sense to expand the ability to monetize it as many ways as possible. I mean, I think it's great and happy to see it. War Games and Starrcade was Dusty Rhodes, not Eric Bischoff or Ted Turner, but Dusty Rhodes; so new fans to see it and learn about it, and understand that legacy, I think it's a wonderful thing."
Bischoff was asked which current superstar he would want to have as a cornerstone if he were to start a wrestling promotion today. Bischoff had two names in mind.
"I really like Braun Strowman. I would turn the volume down on him just a little bit. I think he is a little bit overly animated, and he doesn't have to be. He is already a larger than life character when he wakes up and has a cup of coffee. To me, they have the dial turned on him just a little too much, but it has hard to deny that he can be the guy," Bischoff said. "People chuckle when i say this because they don't think I'm serious, but i really dig Dolph Ziggler; he is versatile, he's athletic, he has a great look, and he reminds me of Kurt Angle because, although he doesn't have that bada** killer persona that Kurt had, but he is capable of it because he is an amazing amateur wrestler. He can choose to be a badass, or he can be a comedic character."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast
Peter Bahi contributed to this article.