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WWE fans witnessed one of the best endings to Monday Night RAW in recent memory as The Rock left Cody Rhodes in a pool of his own blood following a backstage attack. While there are many takeaways from the beatdown, Eric Bischoff highlighted a sponsorship deal that could be huge for the promotion.
The closing segment of RAW saw The Rock catch Cody Rhodes backstage with a brutal assault. The brawl moved outside as Johnson slammed Rhodes into his own bus, busting him open and giving viewers one of the most chilling visuals of the year.
Eric Bischoff pointed out on his 83 Weeks podcast that Cody Rhodes' bus had an advertisement for "Wheatley Vodka," which he believed was crucial for wrestling companies. Bischoff is an expert in the wrestling business and recalled how challenging it is for alcohol brands to advertise in this space.
"He goes to take him outside, and as he opens the door, what do we see? We see the back of Cody's bus, which is wrapped with a Wheatley Vodka advertisement. Now, I don't know what that deal is; I don't know if that's a Cody deal or a WWE deal; it's a WWE deal, okay." [From 24:30 to 24:54]
The Hall of Famer continued:
"How awesome is that!? That's the business of the wrestling business. That's a big step. Alcohol and wrestling have never been able to find a way to play together. That's a massive thing. If you can open up the door to alcohol advertising within the show, you've got a plethora of brands out there who have a hard time advertising because they are alcohol." [From 25:07 to 25:51]
Check out the video below:
Eric Bischoff on the potential reason why alcohol brands have not worked with WWE
The WWE under Nick Khan has been about making money, even if it means promoting other brands on its live TV properties.
Taking a cue from the UFC, WWE has also started advertising in and around the ring, and it seems like the company will use all the available avenues.
Eric Bischoff stressed that the deal with Wheatly Vodka could open the door for more lucrative partnerships, which hadn't happened for years, possibly due to the young audience that attends wrestling shows.
"It's expensive, and now they've got a great audience to advertise to that's opening up their doors to them where they were closed before, whether it was WWE closing the door or them. Maybe the vodka industry or the alcohol industry were too afraid of it because of kids in the audience, but whatever, man, they are embracing it, and I thought it was really cool they did that." [From 25:51 to 26:16]
The new era in WWE isn't just about creative quality but also emphasizes boosting revenue by getting into deals with brands that might not have previously been associated with pro wrestling.
It's an exciting time in wrestling, not only for those who enjoy the stories and matches but also for fans and pundits who get a kick from learning about the business.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit 83 Weeks and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
