The WWE is shaking up their two biggest weekly programs as ratings continue to take a nose dive amid the start of AEW this coming Fall.
According to SportsIllustrated.com, Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff, two of pro-wrestling’s most well known and innovative minds have been named executive producers of RAW and Smackdown respectively.
Heyman overseeing the creative development of Raw is scintillating news for wrestling fans. Best known as a pioneer for his innovative work as ECW president from 1993-2001, Heyman took the company to unfathomable heights on pay-per-view and through a national cable television deal with TNN. He is a must-see attraction as an on-screen performer as the advocate for Brock Lesnar, but Heyman’s longest-lasting work happens off-camera with the character development of many on the WWE roster.
Bischoff will also work directly with executives from FOX, which will air SmackDown Live beginning this October.
The former WCW president, immortal in the industry for igniting the New World Order storyline, started a wrestling war in 1995 against Vince McMahon’s WWE on Monday nights. With Bischoff in charge, WCW’s Nitroeven defeated McMahon’s Monday Night Raw in the television ratings for 83 consecutive weeks. Bischoff made his WWE debut in the summer of 2002, appearing as the Raw General Manager. His full-time run with the company ended in 2007, though he has made the occasional return, most recently during the Raw 25th Anniversary show in January of 2018.
This is obviously exciting for fans of the sport considering we’ve seen nothing but dry storylines and overexposed characters as of late when it comes to the WWE. This too has certainly been reflected with the lazy product by way of not just poor ratings with both RAW and Smackdown but sagging attendance at live events as well. Pictures of copious amounts of empty seats during WWE events like RAW, Smackdown and last weekend’s Stomping Grounds PPV have made their rounds on social media.
There is a downside to all of this though…
SI further reported that both Heyman and Bischoff would report directly to Vince McMahon who’s tight grip on the company and inability to let new ideas flow have more than likely attributed to the shit product as of late. Nonetheless if Heyman and Bischoff are going to work McMahon has to loosen the strains and let two of the most innovative minds in the business do what they do best.
Bottom line though this is what had to be done. It’s what needed to be done. Especially with all the hype that AEW is getting.