Eric Bischoff on WWE: “I’m seeing layers of entertainment”

Nov 17, 2022 - by James Walsh

Eric Bischoff recently shared his thoughts on how the Bloodline compares to the nWo, Triple H’s work as the head of creative in WWE and more. While speaking with Wrestling Inc., Bischoff was asked about the current product in both AEW and WWE, and you can see the highlights below:

On how the Bloodline compares to the nWo “It’s hard to make a fair comparison. I think the nWo worked as well as it did for as long as it has, including today … It transcended into pop culture. Not just here in the States, but around the world. I’d walk around in Japan and I’d see people that were wearing nWo shirts. Probably didn’t even know what it meant, but they were wearing it because it was cool. I don’t think any other wrestling faction has achieved that level of success in that way, but look, the nWo was unique. It was like the tip of the spear of the Monday Night Wars, even though the War started before ’96. The War really started in September ’95 when we launched Nitro head-to-head.

“That’s when it started, and then it escalated, but when the nWo hit and Hulk Hogan turned heel and it really took on a life of its own, that was a very special time in wrestling. Just because of culturally and the way television is now, and just everything else, I don’t think we’re going to see that kind of impact from any wrestling idea again. I don’t think we’re going to see another Rock or another ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, people that have completely changed the dynamic of the industry. I don’t think we’re going to see that again, just like we won’t see something like the nWo again. And I think it’s unfair to compare anything, any new faction or existing faction, to the nWo because it’s a different world and it’s not fair comparing any longer.”

On Triple H’s work as WWE’s CCO: “I like what I see in WWE. I don’t watch it a lot, I’m not taking notes, but I’m seeing consistency. I’m seeing layers of story. I’m seeing layers of entertainment. Look at Sami Zayn. Sami Zayn is emerging to be one of my favorite characters on television right now. And it just makes everything more interesting. The White Rabbit gimmick. There’s just so many new things that we’ve not seen before and layers of entertainment that are fresh and new in WWE that I’m excited about WWE again.”

On what he sees in current AEW vs. WWE: “I don’t know Paul Levesque really well. I really don’t. Although we kind of worked together in proximity for a long time, I never really got to know Paul Levesque, but my sense is that Paul, he’s enough of a traditional wrestling guy to see the value in great characters and great story, but he’s been mentored by the best in the industry and has probably a greater appreciation for story structure and discipline now than he may have 20 years ago. And I think we’re seeing that kind of manifest in the current product. Whereas when I look at AEW, I’m looking at something that I’ve seen all that before. There’s nothing new going on there. There’s nothing innovative going on there. There’s great talent. There’s no question about it. There’s a lot of great talent, but the presentation is pretty 1990s. The athleticism is greater, the characters are a little bit edgier and less cartoonish, but that’s been going on since 1996. That’s not new.

“So I’m just waiting for Tony to find something to make that product feel different than the WWE so that wrestling fans go, ‘Huh? Yeah. It’s not WWE, but it’s pretty cool because they’re doing this now.’ I just don’t see the this now quite yet. And maybe it’ll come. I think the world of Chris Jericho as a pro and like him a lot as a person. Jake Roberts is there. Jeff Jarrett is there now. Tony Schiavone is there. There are a lot of great talents there, personalities there, that have been around and seeing the ebb and flow of things that have the experience and the knowledge to help contribute and make things better. So hopefully we’ll see that.”

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