Eric Bischoff Reacts To Endeavor-WWE Deal Being Nearly Complete

Eric Bischoff is “happy” that the WWE and Endeavor merger is close to completion so that WWE staff will no longer be “sitting around wondering if they will have a job”.

WWE announced the news that UFC’s parent company Endeavor had agreed on a deal to purchase the Sports Entertainment giants following WrestleMania 39 at the beginning of April.

This week the merger is set to be completed which will see WWE listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the name TKO Group Holdings.

Whilst fans are unsure as to the impact the merger will have on weekly storylines, for staff at WWE and UFC there has been a period of uncertainty as to potential job losses.

WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff feels that as upsetting as it can be to lose your job, he believes that employees are better off knowing either way so that they “can get on with your life, you can make a plan”, and how its best to view it as an opportunity for those that do lose their position to view this as starting a new opportunity.

The former WCW boss discussed the impact of the merger on WWE staff during the latest episode of Strictly Business.

“You know, I don’t have a crystal ball. I tend to be pretty Nostradamus-like when it comes to professional wrestling and looking into the future. But in this case, I don’t have a feel for it. I’m happy for the people in WWE and probably for people that I don’t know in UFC as well, because having a merger like this hanging over your head, there’s so many things you don’t know.

You know, you’re not in the loop. It’s the kind of information that isn’t shared beforehand in terms of merging departments and layoffs and things like that. So everybody’s sitting around wondering if they will have a job or how they will be affected.

And that’s just not a great way to live, because you’re always thinking about it and wondering if you’re going to get let go or if your department’s going to be let go or whatever. And I’m happy for everybody to finally have this thing resolved so people can quit worrying about things they don’t need to worry about.

Or if you’re on that list of unfortunate individuals who may find themselves being phased out, so that you can get on with your life, you can make a plan. And as uncomfortable as it may be, sometimes, when things like this happen, the old saying, you know, it’s true, for every door that closes, another one opens. And I’m sure there will be great opportunities for a lot of the people that are affected by the UFC-WWE merger. So I’m just happy for everybody that it’s going to finally be over with.”

“The Pressure Is Already There” For WWE To Secure TV Rights Deal According To Eric Bischoff

Eric Bischoff continued to discuss potential impacts from the Endeavor merger and shared his thoughts on the importance for WWE to raise funds through television rights.

Whilst WWE will be under new ownership, talks are ongoing as to which channel fans can expect to tune into for Raw and SmackDown.

In 2018, WWE agreed to a five-year deal with Fox to broadcast SmackDown every Friday night beginning October 2019, and signed a five-year extension with NBCUniversal for exclusive rights to broadcast Raw on Monday nights.

Bischoff feels that regardless of the merger, WWE are relying on securing a substantial payday from any new right deal as TV is the “lifeblood of professional wrestling”.

TV is the lifeblood of professional wrestling, certainly from a revenue perspective in WWE. So I think the pressure is already there.

H/t to 411mania