Eric Bischoff Discusses Paul Heyman Comparisons

Eric Bischoff discusses wrestling philosophy.

During the 1990s WCW and ECW took the fight to the then-WWF as pro wrestling hit a stunning boom period in North America and beyond. In more recent years, AEW has picked up the baton previously carried by Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman, sparking talk of a wrestling war.

On a recent episode of 83 Weeks, former WCW boss Bischoff reflected on how he attempted to shake up the industry. Bischoff began by comparing his approach to Heyman who was trying to work his own miracles with ECW.

“Heyman, whether he knew it or not, approached the business in a very similar fashion that I did, which is, ‘You can’t compete with WWE… how can I be different?” said Bischoff. “[ECW] showcased amazing talent that people weren’t already familiar with.”

Bischoff went on to explain that his ‘something different’ was the Cruiserweight division while tipping his hat to Heyman for being the first person to showcase the likes of Rey Mysterio in North America.

“We needed something that looked and felt different… something that was faster paced…

I wasn’t the first person to use Luchadors on television,” said Bischoff. “I’m going to give that nod to Paul Heyman. Paul Heyman was using Rey Mysterio before I did.”

Eric Bischoff Comments On WWE Changes

During the same episode, Eric Bischoff gave his thoughts on WWE’s plans to cut back on live events.

The WWE Hall of Famer said he wasn’t surprised by the changes given the untelevised live events struggle to be profitable. Bischoff added that the company discussed the problem as far back as 2019 while he was Executive Director of SmackDown.

In stark contrast to previous years, WWE will hold just two non-televised events in September.

H/t to Wrestling Inc