5 things you don't know about Eric Bischoff's new role on WWE SmackDown Live

Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff

Last month, WWE made the bombshell announcement that Paul Heyman would be taking over as the new Executive Director of Monday Night Raw. Heyman began his duties several weeks ago, and key angles such as Braun Strowman putting Bobby Lashley through the entrance ramp, along with the new Mike and Maria Kanellis storyline, are said to be the brainchild of Heyman.

Possibly even more shocking was WWE's announcement that Eric Bischoff is returning to the company to helm the SmackDown Live brand, as the former WCW Executive Producer will help the blue brand usher in its new television deal with FOX in October.

Of everything that has been reported about Eric Bischoff in WWE since the announcement was made that he is taking the reigns of SmackDown Live, let's look at 5 things you probably don't know about Bischoff's new role in WWE.


#5 He was not present at WWE SmackDown Live this week

Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff

Past reports indicated that Eric Bischoff would officially start with the SmackDown Live brand at the July 16th taping. However, that was not the case as Bischoff was not at this week's show and was said to have no hand in the show's creative.

SmackDown Live this week featured a first-ever Town Hall meeting, led by Shane McMahon, and ended with Shane taking a stunner from Kevin Owens after numerous WWE Superstars, including Roman Reigns and Apollo Crews, aired public "grievances" with their boss.

Furthermore, new feuds were teased on the blue brand, including Shinsuke Nakamura vs Ali for the Intercontinental Title, and Bayley and Ember Moon kicked off their rivalry heading into their WWE SmackDdown Women's Title match taking place at SummerSlam. The preceding storylines were not created by Eric Bischoff, as he reportedly has yet to offer creative input on WWE SmackDown Live.

#4 He will have little involvement in the creative process on SmackDown Live

Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff

When news broke that Eric Bischoff had been hired as the new Executive Director of WWE SmackDown Live, it was widely assumed the announcement meant Bischoff is the new creative head of the blue brand, but that does not appear to be the case.

According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, people in WWE were recently clued into news details regarding Bischoff's role on SmackDown Live. "Right now those in creative were told that he will most likely not be involved with the creative process," wrote Dave Meltzer.

Considering the above, it appears as if Eric Bischoff will be less hands-on with the creative direction of his SmackDown Live brand than his counterpart, Paul Heyman, as it has been reported numerous times that Heyman will be more directly involved in the creative process on Monday Night Raw.

#3 Eric Bischoff will interface with FOX

Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff
Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff

While it appears as if Eric Bischoff will be less responsible for the creative side of things on the SmackDown Live brand, it looks like his role will be more of an interfacing job with both WWE and FOX.

"It looks like his job will be to interface with all of the departments in the company as well as with FOX," explained Dave Meltzer.

Despite the above, it's worth noting that Eric Bischoff will still very much be the leader of SmackDown Live, so it is possible Bischoff could make changes down the line to how the show runs from a creative standpoint.

One of the main reasons why WWE hired Eric Bischoff to his new role in the company is because of what officials feel to be Bischoff's "proven track record" of dealing with network executives during his time in WCW.

#2 Eric Bischoff's absence has puzzled WWE employees

Eric Bischoff inducts DDP
Eric Bischoff inducts DDP

Eric Bischoff has yet to begin his new role on WWE SmackDown Live, and according to Dave Meltzer, the brand is currently without a leader on Tuesday nights.

"[WWE SmackDown Live] currently has no leadership, just Ryan Ward and others pitching ideas to Vince," wrote Meltzer.

As things stand at the moment, Paul Heyman is leading the Monday Night Raw brand from an Executive Director standpoint and from a creative standpoint, but it remains to be seen if Bischoff will be performing all of the same duties currently being performed by Heyman.

It would appear, however, as if SmackDown is in serious need of some leadership at the moment, as Dave Meltzer noted "things were a mess this past week" at WWE TV considering Daniel Bryan was first advertised for a battle royal match on Raw, then was pulled from the bout and was advertised to make a "career altering" announcement on SmackDown Live. The announcement never took place either, leaving fans very puzzled.

Dave Meltzer previously reported that several people in WWE have been scratching their heads as to why Eric Bischoff has spent several weeks moving to Stamford as opposed to diving right into his new Executive Director role.

#1 When did Eric Bischoff officially begin with WWE?

Vince McMahon, Jonathan Coachman and Eric Bischoff
Vince McMahon, Jonathan Coachman and Eric Bischoff

Despite initial reports targeting July 16th as Eric Bischoff's official start date with WWE, the day came and went and the former WCW Executive Producer had no influence on the SmackDown Live show this week.

Dave Meltzer reports that Bischoff actually began with WWE on July 17th, the day after this week's SmackDown tapings. However, it remains unknown what kind of influence Bischoff might have on the SmackDown Live brand in the coming weeks.

Previous reports suggested the SummerSlam landscape could change drastically once Eric Bischoff settles into his new role on SmackDown, and that is certainly possible as only one SmackDown Live match is official for the PPV next month - Bayley vs Ember Moon for the WWE SmackDown Women's Title.


Do you think Eric Bischoff should be directly involved in the creative direction of WWE Smackdown Live? Let us know in the comment section!

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