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In case you somehow missed it, WWE has hired Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff as Executive Directors to oversee the happenings on WWE TV. Heyman will head up Raw, while Bischoff will be in charge of Smackdown and will work closely with Fox officials as the deal is approaching.
This news took the wrestling world by storm and has given WWE fans a new sense of optimism going into the second half of 2019. After a pretty eventful WrestleMania season, WWE entered its annual post-'Mania lull. But this year was worse. The product got really stale, with ratings and attendances hitting new record lows. There are quite a few things wrong with Raw and Smackdown right now, and it seemed like Vince McMahon wouldn't do anything about it.
But here he is, hiring two men who were on opposite sides to him during the height of wrestling's peak. Fans are expecting the changes to come thick and fast under Heyman and Bischoff. Hopefully, this is a major turning point and the product will have a huge improvement in quality.
Here are three reasons why this bombshell of an announcement will work wonders and two why it won't:
#3 (Will) History of creating a great product
Both Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman were responsible for some pretty great wrestling in the 1990s, competing with World Wrestling Federation at the time. WCW and ECW both had unfortunate ends, but Bischoff and Heyman did have times when their product was superior. Bischoff's WCW even beat Raw in the ratings for well over a year, following the rise of his creation, the nWo. That was before the entire promotion would eventually blow up in its own face.
Paul Heyman is a creative genius as well. Not only did he manage ECW, but the Advocate was also in charge of the creative on Smackdown from 2002 until early 2003. That was one of the greatest periods in the history of the blue brand, only comparable to the early days of the second brand split. Heyman was credited for the Smackdown Six, a group of hungry talents from 2002 who were touted as the future of the business including the likes of Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio, and Edge. He knows how to make stars.
This history is proof that both Bischoff and Heyman know how to run creative TV shows and with the financial strength of WWE and a team of competent writers, they could do it again.
#2 (Won't) Massive egos
It is no secret that both Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff have some of the biggest egos in the wrestling business. That could be a boon, but it could also be a bane. We all know how big Eric Bischoff's ego is, as he challenged Vince McMahon to a fight on pay-per-view 20 years ago. Paul Heyman's ego is just as big. There will be inevitable clashes in terms of creative preference for both shows but the key is to find the perfect balance between quality and quantity.
However, history has proven that these problems would lead to an unceremonious end in Heyman's role as creative head. He previously quit his role as Smackdown's lead booker in 2003, before he returned to head up the revived ECW brand. He quit that too, after the December to Dismember pay-per-view. Hopefully, Heyman can remain on the same page as the rest of the creative team and they put on one hell of a program.
#2 (Will) They both know their stuff
Obviously, both men know the wrestling business pretty well. Paul Heyman is very much in touch with how it has evolved over the years, as seen in his brief but encouraging interactions with talent in some of WWE's backstage documentaries. Eric Bischoff is more in tune with the entertainment aspect of things. This would provide both Raw and Smackdown with a distinct feel and presentation. Both Heyman and Bischoff know what needs to be done at the onset to make progress on each show.
Eric Bischoff spoke about how the brand split was doomed to fail if Raw and Smackdown did not feel different enough, during a live spoken-words show with Inside The Ropes. Paul Heyman, also during an Inside The Ropes live show, spoke about the time he came out to CM Punk's music in Chicago and basically prevented Monday Night Raw to be hijacked by the rowdy fans.
Both men know their stuff and will surely bring a lot of wisdom to the (creative) table.
#1 (Won't) They still have to report to Vince McMahon
No matter how revolutionary Heyman's and Bischoff's ideas are, they still have to report to the Chairman, Vince McMahon. Part of the reason for WWE's downturn in quality in recent times is due to some of his weird decisions, the worst of them being the Wildcard rule. The Chairman has reportedly been listening to more and more inputs from members of the creative team and thus, creating a much more chaotic environment backstage where the script for Raw is finalized during the show itself.
If Vince McMahon continues to micromanage the product and the talent, hardly anything will really change. The wrestlers should be allowed more creative freedom in their character and promos. That would make the show better. Mr. McMahon's formula is currently broken and he should ideally take a backseat while his two biggest former rivals steady the ship. This is important for change. But after the past decade or so, this might also prove to be another false dawn for the WWE universe.
#1 (Will) The desperate need for change
The simple fact of the matter is that WWE has decided to hire these two geniuses for new roles in the creative departments of both Raw and Smackdown because they know that the system is broken. They are unable to create new megastars anymore, despite the unbelievable amount of talent in the locker room. However, the first step towards improvement is acknowledgment. It is positive that the company is making this move because it is a statement of intent, showing that they are striving to be better.
Also, both Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff would be knowing of the challenges of working directly under Vince McMahon, especially Heyman. After the previous two times, the fact that he is set to be part of the creative process again is a positive sign that he will have more input. As for Bischoff, his acceptance of this job certainly means that there is a long-term plan for the creative direction of the WWE. These two men would certainly want to use their ability to create the best wrestling product on the planet, without being hamstrung by Vince's creative roadblock.
The initial feeling following this move is positive. But whether this works out or not, only time will tell.
