WWE announced on Thursday that Bruce Prichard is now in charge of creative for both shows. The Something to Wrestle host had been acting as the Executive Director of SmackDown, a job previously held by Bischoff. Raw’s Executive Director, Paul Heyman, will remain with WWE exclusively as an on-air talent.
Bischoff commented on the dramatic shakeup. He also offered some advice for Paul Heyman. During a conversation with Christy Olson on After 83 Weeks, Bischoff said his initial reaction is to reach out to Bruce Prichard with a cheeky congratulatory message. “My first reaction is I’m going to send Bruce Prichard a text that says congratulations, with a question mark,” he joked.
Eric Bischoff says Bruce Prichard is one of his best friends and he fully supports Bruce in this new role. “Bruce is an architect, more than a creative mind. But Bruce being a good architect will know how to take advantage of the resources within his grasp, and will do a great job.”
As for Paul Heyman’s situation, Bischoff’s reaction was a little more .. mixed.
“He’s quirky as shit. He’s got his own thing, you know. Most really creative, highly aggressive people do. Paul was a handful but in a fun and positive way for me, not in a negative or challenging way, but in a way that kind of made you better because he made you think.”
Bischoff gave some advice to Paul Heyman, who now finds himself on the outside of WWE’s chaotic creative process.
“This too shall pass,” Bischoff advised Heyman. “It’ll pass quickly, and there will be another opportunity tomorrow. So just lay low.”
Bischoff added that Paul Heyman has a cult-like following with wrestling fans to this day. Heyman is an icon to so many people who feels he can do no wrong. Bischoff says that’s simply not the case and Heyman is ‘just a human being’ like the rest of us.
“He’s a very creative talented human being, but he still a human being that has flaws. but Paul is on such a pedestal that I think people tend to give him a little more credit than they should for some things.”
Watch the latest episode of After 83 Weeks with Christy Olson and Eric Bischoff:
It wasn’t even a year ago that WWE announced Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff as the new Executive Directors of RAW and Smackdown. The Heyman and Bischoff experiment was first announced by WWE on June 27th, 2019. Heyman lasted just under a year in the role, while Bischoff was gone in under 4 months.
Now, both RAW and Smackdown’s creative teams have been consolidated with Bruce Pritchard serving as the lead. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the move did not come as a surprise to many behind the scenes.
The report would quote an unnamed source from WWE’s front office as saying, “I am shocked it took this long. Everyone knew it was coming. Vince did not like Paul.”
It is also being reported that the global pandemic caused a shift in Vince McMahon’s priorities. While Heyman said upon taking the role that it would take RAW 18-months to establish new stars, McMahon evidently ran out of patience.
“It’s said by those close to the situation that once COVID-19 started that McMahon’s mentality changed about everything,” wrote Dave Meltzer. Before the pandemic, WWE had a more longterm outlook. Since the pandemic hit, short-term viewership performance became the greater concern.
WWE’s statement on Thursday stated that Heyman will continue to have an on-air role in the company. He currently serves as the advocate of Brock Lesnar.
Another major shakeup has taken place with WWE’s writing staff.
WWE has consolidated the writing teams for Raw and SmackDown. Bruce Prichard will lead the new creative team. He previously served as the Executive Director of the SmackDown brand.
Paul Heyman, who served as Executive Director of Raw, will not be part of the new writing team. According to the following statement sent in to SEScoops.com, Heyman will focus on his role as on-air talent.
“In an effort to streamline our creative writing process for television, we have consolidated both teams from Raw and SmackDown into one group, led by Bruce Prichard. Paul Heyman will concentrate on his role as an in-ring performer.”
Heyman worked as the head of Raw’s creative effort since June 2019. At the time, Eric Bischoff was named as the leader of SmackDown’s writing team. Bruce Prichard took over for Heyman in just a few months later in October 2019.
WWE RAW Superstar Lana recently spoke with Sportskeeda. During the interview, Lana opened up about what RAW has been like since Paul Heyman’s induction as the show’s Executive Director.
Lana spoke highly of Heyman, sharing how he has been one of her personal favorites since she was a little girl. Heyman and Stephanie McMahon were the reason why Lana wanted to pursue becoming a WWE Superstar. She credited their compelling storytelling and how entertaining they were in helping to ignite her passion for the business. She pointed to their ability to drive the story on the mic while also being smart and compelling as characters.
“When he’s a character and when he’s on the microphone, he’s able to tell those compelling stories, and he brings that as a showrunner,” Lana explained. “I feel like he’s given so many people opportunities, who wouldn’t otherwise have opportunities. And the way he tells the story across the show, I feel like everything’s very intertwined and threaded.”
She stressed how everything with scripted television is “threaded,” especially on RAW. Lana noted how since Heyman’s creative direction, many overlooked Superstars have been given renewed opportunities.
Lana was one of those Superstars who has benefited from Heyman’s leadership. She has been a crucial part of a rivalry between Bobby Lashley and Rusev. She is still associated on-screen with Lashley, having recently cost him his WrestleMania matchup against Aleister Black.
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff recently revealed some intriguing facts regarding the former Turner franchise and lawsuits that were levied against them.
Eric Bischoff was discussing a lawsuit that was presented by Paul Heyman, as ECW talent Sabu was the subject of a contract dispute back in the year 2000. In terms of Heyman’s ‘tactics’ at that time; Bischoff said that “Heyman was a part of WCW during a period of time when all you had to do to get a checkout of Turner Broadcasting was whisper the words, ‘I think I’m going to sue you.'”
Eric Bischoff also mentioned how Turner operated back then in terms of settlements to lawsuits. “If that came with a settlement, you know, anywhere below $999,999, you get a check. WCW was very inclined to settle anything that was or wasn’t merit-less. It was just easier to make it go away than it was to, you know, defend it in court. So I don’t blame him [Heyman]. You know, I might have done the same thing.”
Sabu had previously worked with WCW back in 1995. The former hardcore star would never appear for World Championship Wrestling before their demise in 2001; possibly due to the contract dispute from ECW. During that time Sabu would work for the XPW promotion; winning their World Heavyweight Championship whilst being managed by former Danzig bassist Josh Lazie.
You can listen to the 83 Weeks podcast with Eric Bischoff via iTunes. Stitcher. Or you favourite podcast host every Monday at 6am EST.
Brock Lesnar’s advocate, Paul Heyman, has responded to John Cena’s recent comments. Cena praised Lesnar in an interview with Sports Illustrated, calling Lesnar the “best in-ring performer of all time.” Despite his kind words, it doesn’t seem Heyman is impressed with Cena’s sentiment.
Taking to his Twitter account, Heyman shared an image of Brock Lesnar and John Cena from their early days on SmackDown. Lesnar has Cena hoisted onto his shoulders, seemingly ready to deliver an F5. Heyman accompanied the Tweet with the following caption:
Making sure Cena would see the post, Paul Heyman tagged him, the official WWE Universe account, and Brock Lesnar himself. Cena has yet to respond to Heyman’s post at the time of writing.
Brock Lesnar’s Upcoming Bouts
Brock Lesnar is set to defend his WWE Championship against Ricochet. The two will face off at WWE Super ShowDown which takes place on February 27th from King Fahd International Stadium in Saudi Arabia.
If he retains, Lesnar will proceed to clash with the winner of the 2020 Men’s Royal Rumble match, Drew McIntyre. They would compete on “The Grandest Stage of Them All” WrestleMania 36 on April 5th in Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida.
Former Executive Director of Friday Night SmackDown Eric Bischoff answered questions regarding his former role on this week’s episode of the 83 Weeks podcast. A fan wrote in to ask Bischoff to the clear the air regarding his short time in WWE from June 2019 to October 2019. Bischoff made it clear that he was unable to give away ‘too much’ about his time in the role, indicating heavily that he had signed a ‘no disclosure agreement’ of some variety when he signed with WWE.
“When I say I have more respect for some than others it’s just because I didn’t get a chance to work with everybody there”
“Yeah, this is treacherous waters upon which we were about to embark” Eric Bischoff began. “So I’m gonna be a little careful about that, I hope everybody can understand. Number one, I have nothing but respect for everybody in WWE. Everybody I worked with, some a lot more than others, and only I say that only because I had more I interface with some people. When I say I have more respect for some than others; it’s just because I didn’t get a chance to work with everybody there.”
“Overall, my respect for WWE is pretty high from Vince McMahon on down”
Bischoff elaborated further, discussing Vince McMahon directly; “overall, my respect for WWE is pretty high from Vince McMahon on down. It doesn’t mean that it was a great fit. That doesn’t mean that the chemistry was right, it doesn’t mean that the communication was great. And there’s a lot of just fundamentally human things that could have been much much better. I think for everybody. For them; certainly for them, for Vince McMahon certainly who made the call to let me go. Certainly he was disappointed that it didn’t work out. I know that for a fact.”
“There’s one guy who has creative control” – Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff then also moved into talking about his colleague Paul Heyman and his perceived ‘creative control’ on RAW. Heyman took over the Executive Director role on RAW at the same time Bischoff was announced for SmackDown. “There’s one guy who has creative control. This is not Paul Heyman, I hate to break your bubble, and I love Paul by the way. I regard Paul’s creative abilities and things like that so this is not meant to be any kind of a half assed attempt to take a shot or anything like that. Paul doesn’t have creative control, anybody thinks he does is kidding themselves. I know Paul doesn’t, and neither does anybody. There’s one guy has creative control. And we all know who that is.”
Do you think that Eric Bischoff should have had more of a chance at WWE? Let us know in the comments
RAW Superstar Buddy Murphy has been enjoying a string of success recently, especially since aligning himself with Seth Rollins. Even before this, Murphy has been turning heads with several great matches against Aleister Black. In a recent interview, Murphy credited these opportunities to Paul Heyman’s belief in him.
“Paul has been awesome to work with. He has a lot of belief in me and I don’t want to let him down,” Murphy explained to talkSPORT. “The Aleister Black performances and what not, I want the ball and I want to run with it. I believe – and Paul believes – I can be a mega star for this company.”
Murphy stated how, once the bell rings, he’s confident with his in-ring talents. He then noted that all he needs now is a “story to sink my teeth into.” For him, his alliance with Rollins could be the exact thing to propel him even further. He added how Heyman has been actively pointing him in the right direction, and as long as he can keep Heyman and Vince McMahon happy, then he’s happy.
Buddy Murphy Comments On 205 Live
Buddy Murphy then turned his attention to his former brand, 205 Live. He stressed how the the “205 originals are awesome” because of how they could be partnered with any main roster Superstar at any time.
He admitted he hasn’t seen much of the current 205 Live show, adding how “From what I’ve seen of it, they don’t do much [in the way of] stories at the moment. Not many storylines there, you know what I mean?”
WWE RAW Superstar Drew McIntyre recently appeared on the Jerry Lawler Show podcast, which is produced and distributed by PodcastOne. The former Intercontinental Champion discussed a variety of topics on the show; including moments from his career in WWE and the independent scene.
The Royal Rumble Match
Lawler turned the conversation to the upcoming Royal Rumble event this Sunday. There have been persistent rumors surrounding McIntyre’s chances in the 30-man match this weekend, with many predicting that he will go all of the way and win the match. If Drew McIntyre were to win the bout, he would likely face WWE Champion Brock Lesnar; who himself enters the Rumble in the #1 spot. Lawler asked McIntyre if he felt Paul Heyman announcing that Brock would be first in the match was ‘deflating.’ Thus seemingly trying to keep the interview as storyline driven as possible. McIntyre gave a fairly standard answer, saying “I’ve had like so many ups and downs but not deflating. If anything [it] inspires me in my own right.”
Paul Heyman wanting more creative freedom?
Drew McIntyre then revealed that RAW Executive Producer Paul Heyman has apparently started attempting to get the RAW Superstars to show more of their personalities on camera. “Paul Heyman has come in. You know, he’s allowed people to start showing a little bit more of a personality” McIntyre began. “It’s up to you if you get that kind of freedom, like I’ve been doing over the past couple of months to really take advantage of it [and] ensure you know that you can get over if you’re given that opportunity. I think that is what was missing [from my character] and the pieces are coming together. The size I am, the experience I have the look etc. And now that I’m putting those final pieces together, being myself. I cannot wait, the opportunity was last night I’ve been thinking about it for a very long time.”
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar appeared on the January 13th episode of RAW alongside his ‘advocate’ Paul Heyman for a promo segment. During said promo segment then 24/7 Champion R-Truth appeared and cut a humorous promo, which involved threatening to eliminate Paul Heyman from the Royal Rumble match.
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry recently revealed that the segment between the two Superstars was completely ‘unscripted.’ Henry said that the idea was to have Brock not ‘mentally prepared’ for the segment so that he would react naturally.
“the business of that segment was to get Brock Lesnar to crack”
Henry appeared on a recent episode of Busted Open Radio alongside Bully Ray, who said “Mark. Let’s pull back the curtain a little bit okay? Because obviously the ‘business’ of that segment was to entertain on TV, but you know damn well backstage that the business of that segment was to get Brock to crack.” Henry then confirmed that the entire section with R-Truth appearing was completely unscripted: “Yes. And from what I’m understanding. Brock didn’t even know that was going to happen. It was completely kayfabe. That’s what I’m getting.”
“I never seen Brock Lesnar laugh that much since I’ve known him”
Henry also confirmed that his sources for the story were completely reliable. “It was was designed for Brock not to me mentally prepared to block it. And it worked because I never seen Brock laugh that much since I’ve known him.”
“the more that I saw Brock’s reaction? I realised it was true.”
Both Bully and Henry both claimed that Brock Lesnar has huge respect for Truth, as he is a veteran in the business. Therefore he would not have been ‘angry’ that Truth was trying to make him laugh live on television. It was also then revealed by Henry that Brock also had no idea that Truth would even be appearing for the segment. “This was purely Heyman and Truth” Henry revealed. “When I heard it, I was like, No, no. [But] like the more that I saw Brock’s reaction? I realised it was true. That’s the only way that he could break like that. There was no acting. Brock was reacting. And it was absolutely beautiful.”
It’s interesting that with the heavily scripted natured of WWE programming that such a big segment would be so ‘loose’ in structure. Although Henry did not reveal his source at WWE he is still a major name behind the scenes, so it is likely that he would have reliable contacts. We do not know at this time if the ‘unscripted’ style will be used with Brock going forward, or if it was just purely used as an entertaining aside for RAW heading into the Royal Rumble.
WWE Hall of Famer and Busted Open Radio co-host Bully Ray has an interesting theory about Brock Lesnar’s role in the 2020 Royal Rumble match.
As seen on Monday’s WWE RAW, Lesnar and his advocate Paul Heyman appeared on the show to drop a bombshell announcement. The reigning WWE Champion is not only entering the Rumble match. He has opted to be the first entrant.
Brock Lesnar Brings the Intrigue
On Tuesday’s episode of of Busted Open, Bully Ray explained why the announcement is so intriguing. “Brock is entering the rumble at number one, if you’re intrigued that means you’re going to tune in,” he began. “Now what they give us is gravy. Why would Brock Lesnar, the WWE champion, be entering the royal rumble at number one? Well it’s really quite simple. Who should be challenging Brock Lesnar right now? Who’s intriguing enough to challenge him right now?”
Bully Ray then made the point to co-host Dave LeGreca that there’s arguably no one in WWE who is at Brock Lesnar’s level. “Who’s the credible person on the raw roster that you think at this very moment as of late last night could stand in the ring with Brock? Like where you actually think they have a shot at beating him?”
“…We want to see Drew get this push”
In terms of legitimate threats to Brock Lesnar, only one name stood out to Bully Ray. “Drew [McIntyre] looks the part,” he said. “We want to see Drew get this push and for them do more with Drew. But they’re in a transitional stage with Drew, they’re turning Drew babyface little by little. That ‘three two one’ gimmick, that stiff kick to the face…he’s going to get that over. He should be doing that ‘three two one’ every single time he does the claymore kick.”
“We’re not going to take the punk ass route and hope we get number thirty.”
Bully also talked about how the story was legimatised from a storyline perspective. “Say you’re looking this from a storyline point of view. I’m the WWE champion, just as Paul said in the promo there are no challengers, or no credible challengers. So if we have no credible challengers we’re going to try to do the most credible thing we could possibly do.”
He continued, “We’re going to win the Royal Rumble; as the WWE champion and oh by the way we’re not going to take the punk ass route and hope we get number thirty. We’re going to take the warrior route and enter ourselves at number one. And I’m going to eliminate every single person that comes in that ring. And I’m going to win the Royal Rumble.”
“…whoever 30 is, is probably going to be a big surprise and most likely will eliminate Brock Lesnar and set up your match for WrestleMania 36”
Ray also talked about a potential main event for WrestleMania stemming from the Rumble match that would mean that Brock gets eliminated.
“What do you think is going to happen especially if number thirty is a massive surprise?,” he asked. “What if number thirty eliminates Brock? Well you just set something up that’s, probably, first of all needed for WrestleMania this year; and number two since I kindly answered your question; that there really isn’t anybody on the roster that really gets me excited to face Brock Lesnar here’s your answer. I think you hold the key right there. Whoever thirty is. Is probably going to be a big surprise and most likely will eliminate Brock Lesnar and set up your match for WrestleMania 36.”
The playing field for the main event of WrestleMania is wide open, at this stage. The 30th entrant eliminating Brock Lesnar might just be the rocket fuel WWE needs to jumpstart WrestleMania season and set up a match fans actually want to see.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is pleased that Paul Heyman is now the man running WWE Raw. Heyman and Austin have a long history together dating all the way back to the early nineties when both were in WCW. Austin was once a member of Heyman’s Dangerous Alliance stable during that time.
Austin recently spoke to SI.com about Paul Heyman’s new role in WWE.
“That is the right guy for the job,” said Austin. “Paul E. has a vision of what this business should be. He’s working under the watchful eye of Vince McMahon, but Vince is looking at so many big pictures while Paul is going to focus on this.”
“Paul E. is really close to the pulse of the product. He understands where and why the business should be, and how it should feel. You should feel something when you watch that show. Paul E. is hungry to bring back this industry to its heyday. There is already more of a sense of urgency and importance of the world title.”
WWE announced this summer that Paul Heyman would be the new executive director of WWE Raw and Eric Bischoff would assume the same role for Smackdown.
“Emotion sells tickets and draws ratings,” Austin continued. “If you don’t care, then why watch? If you care, you’re invested in those characters. So slow it down a little bit.”
Austin continued to talk about the importance of stories, characters, and booking to pro-wrestling.
“You can move as fast as you want in the ring, but to me, the business is built on characters, emotions, and depth. When you have great action on top of it, that’s even better. Right now, those guys and gals are operating at such a high speed and high level of athleticism. It can’t get any higher than it is right now, so they need to keep finding ways to make people care about them. That will elevate the business and make it resonate with the audience.”
During a recent interview with SportingNews.com, Corbin reflected on his working relationship with RAW’s Executive Director Paul Heyman. He divulged that they have a “very good” relationship, based off Heyman’s fearlessness in giving Corbin feedback.
“[…] he’s not afraid to tell me if I’m doing something wrong,” Corbin explained. “He’s not going to sugarcoat things. He’s a man’s man in the sense of he’s not afraid if he hurts your feelings for me. He knows how to handle people. That’s what I relate to. That’s why I get along with Vince [McMahon] and Hunter and ‘Taker. Those guys will tell me that wasn’t good and I’m not going to get offended.”
He said that receiving feedback like that fuels him to make himself better. It makes him want to prove himself, showing them what he’s capable of.
He continued, “Paul, I think he’s a guy that’s perfect for me because he’s going to help push the envelope of RAW, but also push my envelope as well. He’s a guy who believes in me and what I do. He’s done so many amazing things from ECW to WWE, and it’s really awesome to have a guy in control that is going to push the envelope, and it makes guys like me who want to push it very excited for what’s to come.”
With his recent victory this week, Corbin will face both Samoa Joe and Ricochet on the 9/9 episode of RAW. The winner will go on to face the SmackDown finalist to crown the King of the Ring at WWE’s Clash of Champions event on September 15th.
Triple H took part in a media call today to promote Saturday’s TakeOver show from Toronto. During the call, he was asked about Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff’s new roles with the company and whether he himself was up for either of their positions.
Triple H on his role with WWE compared to Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff’s
“No, you have to understand the way it’s laid out, their scope of what they are doing are very specific to those shows,” Triple responded when asked if he was up for or interested in the positions given to Heyman and Bischoff. “While I’m still at those shows, there’s many weeks where due to my schedule and other commitments I can’t be at every single show, I can’t be at every single RAW or I can’t be at every single Smackdown. The scope of the things that I do is way beyond that.”
Triple H Says He Already Sees Positive Changes, Talks Working With Heyman & Bischoff
Triple H continued to say he’s already seeing the positives from the changes made backstage.
“I’m thrilled and I already see the positives and the changes,” Triple H said. “As this whole thing continues to grow, it’s really a lot of it comes down to organizational processes.”
“I’m thrilled that it’s those guys and I think they are going to knock it out of the park,” he continued. “I’m excited to work with both of them. Heyman I’ve been working with for awhile. Bischoff it’s been awhile but this is the first time I’ve worked with him in this manner. So far, it’s an exciting process. So, I’m really happy and I’ve already seen positives from it.”
Footage of Paul Heyman telling a story from one his one-man only shows was released by Inside The Ropes where he told the background of how he became Brock Lesnar‘s advocate.
It all started when plans had to be changed as he was originally planned to be Chris Benoit’s manager starting at WrestleMania 18 in 2002.
However, after seeing the bad advice “The Beast” was given by agents prior to his debut while working dark matches, Heyman started producing Lesnar’s matches.
After a few weeks of this, with Heyman pushing to produce Lesnar’s matches, it led to him being in the corner of Lesnar. WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon nixed the idea of Heyman serving as Benoit’s manager and put him with Lesnar.
Heyman recalled McMahon asking him what he thought about that which Heyman would later tell McMahon that Lesnar is the next big thing.
“And Vince looks at me and he goes, ‘God d**mit, Paul. That nickname would suck.’”
Heyman was quickly paired with Lesnar when the future WWE Hall of Famer returned in 2012 and has been at his side for all of his appearances as well as matches since then.
WWE presents the SummerSlam pay-per-view event on Sunday, August 11, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario at the Scotiabank Arena. At this show, Lesnar will make his next title defense against Seth Rollins in the likely main event.
In an interview with Newsweek, former WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins commented on what he believes Paul Heyman will bring to RAW in his new role.
He stated that it’s nice having people like Heyman and Bischoff in creative roles, calling them both “super influential.”
“[…] if you want to look to the future, you’ll want to look at the past and find good examples,” Rollins claimed. “We have done a great job of collecting a lot of great minds over the last several years. Especially this past year, we have Bruce Prichard back there, Jeff Jarrett back there as well. We’re adding Paul and Eric to the mix. There’s a lot of information and brainpower in the creative department so it’ll be cool to see where things go from here.”
Risk-Taker
When it comes down to his home brand RAW, and its specific Executive Director, however, Rollins was quick to praise Heyman’s influence, creativity, and willingness to take risks.
“One thing about Paul, and it’s still true to this day, is that he’s not afraid to take risks. He’s good at taking a lot of things about the talent that people may see as weakness and turn them into strengths,” Rollins explained.
“The way he sees talent is different than other people in the creative side. So you combine that with the ability, and willingness, to take risks that other people aren’t it adds for an exciting and unpredictable three hours of RAW. And so I’m looking to see the crazy left and right turns that he’ll take us moving forward.”
Rollins recently won a Battle Royal on Monday Night RAW, earning him the chance to claim back his WWE Universal Championship from the current champion, Brock Lesnar. The two will clash once more on August 11th at SummerSlam.
Speaking with 969 The Game, Ricochet discussed his move to Orlando, his connection with the fans, and if backstage feels any different now Paul Heyman is Monday Night RAW’s Executive Director.
Addressing his connection with the WWE Universe, Ricochet said that “The very first thing is my in-ring ability that I give to fans. The acrobatics and the style that I have is what catches everyone’s eyes. I’m hoping since people see that I’m just a normal dude, a kid from Kentucky living his dream. I think people can see that and understand that. That helps them connect with me a little bit more. Obviously, at first it’s the visual aspect, but then it’s more…which is awesome.”
“Everyone Has Started To up Our Game”
He confesses that not much has changed backstage since Heyman stepped into his new role, though it’s still early days. That hasn’t stopped himself and other Superstars from pushing themselves, performing to their best ability.
“I feel like all the boys in the locker room, everyone has started to up our game and make the most of what we can get. To do our roles the best we can and make the show the best it can be. Nothing crazy dramatic, but a little bit over time since I’ve been here … slowly we have all tried to do everything we can to the best of our abilities.”
This past Monday night on RAW, Ricochet teamed up with the Usos, defeating The Revival and Robert Roode.
The hope is that, with their creative input, WWE will be able to present more engaging and entertaining content on their flagship shows. This new initiative is an active attempt at recapturing WWE’s 18-34 year old demographic.
New details have been revealed regarding how Heyman has embraced his role. Fightful.com reports that, although Vince McMahon naturally has the final say, Heyman remains confident that things will change over time.
Apparently, Heyman sits in the middle of production meetings amongst the writing team. He has spoken openly with creative, telling them that Vince McMahon is aware WWE programming needs to be changed. They are hoping to alter their product to recapture its creative edge as well as their lost demographic.
Vince McMahon has, allegedly, conceeded that things need to improve. Because of this, it is believed true change could be on the horizon. The hiring of Heyman and Bischoff in these new roles seems to be the first step towards that transformation.
Many backstage have adopted a “wait and see” approach on the matter. It’s worth nothing that there was more optimism backstage coming off of last week’s Monday Night RAW, which was the first under Heyman’s watch.
With Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff once again returning to notable creative positions within WWE, the pro wrestling landscape seems to be on a precipice of change as WWE continues to gear up against All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
WWE Hall Of Famer, Booker T, spoke about these changes on his podcast, The Hall Of Fame.
He claims that with Heyman and Bischoff respectively directing RAW and SmackDown, they will be going back to the “blueprint of what wrestling always was” which is “giving the fans some great wrestling, great entertainment.”
“[…] Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff, they both have an agenda now, and that agenda is to do well,” he said. “I was reading today that Eric Bischoff is moving his family to Connecticut. To do that, that’s a huge, huge commitment. That means I want to get close to my work, and I really want to throw myself into it and try to create something.”
“Time Is Running Out”
Booker believes that Bischoff is fully aware of the magnitude of this opportunity, claiming that he is “never going to get another chance like this ever.”
“One thing Eric Bischoff knows: time is running out. He’s never going to get another chance like this ever in a lifetime. I mean, he slipped on a banana peel and became the President of WCW, and then to get this dropped in his hand? […] Paul Heyman, he made ECW a legitimate company by doing the right things and then taking that company in the right direction. They gave the fans what they wanted to see, they had it all. The war could be over before it even starts.”
With WWE doing all it can to hold onto talent as it redefines itself in the face of new competition, it appears that having RAW and SmackDown become creatively different is the first step in their attempts—a decision that Vince McMahon is already reportedly very pleased with.
Things are always better when the boss-man is pleased, and that appears to be the situation the RAW team finds themselves in following last week’s show.
The report confirmed Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch vs. Andrade and Zelina Vega in mixed tag-team action, as well as Roman Reigns and a mystery partner of Shane McMahon’s choosing against he and Drew McIntyre in a tag-team bout.
An additional stipulation in the latter match is that if The Undertaker interferes at any point during the contest, he will be removed from the scheduled tag-team match at the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
This Monday’s RAW show goes down from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and will be the “go-home” show for the red brand heading into the WWE Extreme Rules show.
WWE Extreme Rules goes down from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this Sunday, July 14th. The show will air live via pay-per-view, and will stream live on the WWE Network. Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com on 7/14 for live WWE Extreme Rules results coverage.
Which Segments On 7/1 RAW In Dallas Were Paul Heyman’s Ideas?
In related news, the same SI article that broke the news of Monday’s RAW double main event included news about WWE officials being pleased with last Monday’s RAW at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The SI articles notes that some of the ideas believed to be Heyman’s at last week’s show were the stage explosion with Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley, the Maria and Mike Kanellis pregnancy segment, and the appearance by NXT Tag-Team Champions The Street Profits.
Vince “Immensely Pleased” With First RAW Of “Paul Heyman Era”
Additionally, the report mentioned that Vince McMahon was said to be “immensely pleased” with the RAW show in Dallas.
In particular, the article references the “pace, tone and essence” of last Monday’s RAW as parts that the WWE Chairman was specifically pleased with.
It’s always good when the boss-man is pleased.
What did YOU think of the first episode of RAW in the new “Paul Heyman Era?” Sound off in the Comments section below! You can also interact with us on Twitter @SEScoops and @MattBoone1984.
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently made an appearance on Busted Open Radio where he talked about Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff becoming Executive Directors for WWE and challenges that they face.
Heyman will be in charge of Monday Night RAW while Bischoff will oversee SmackDown Live and work closely with FOX when the show moves this October.
Angle, who works as a producer in WWE, sees the challenges that await these two men in their new roles.
“The ratings have been pretty stagnant,” Angle stated. “It just sounds like they want to give something a try and I do not blame them. The WWE right now, they are a publicly traded company that makes more money now, than they ever did before, that includes the Attitude Era.”
Angle brought up all of the sources of revenue for the company such as TV deals, WWE Network, merchandise, and endorsements. However, WWE is still trying to find a balance by giving their fans what they want and complying with a PG television rating.
“They have shareholders, they want to make sure it’s a family program and geared towards kids. The writing gets to be a little more difficult when you’re trying to write PG all the time.”
WWE announced this week that Paul Heyman will be the new Executive Director of RAW and Eric Bischoff will fill the same role for Smackdown. Triple H, who heads up WWE’s NXT brands, recently commented on what the two men have contributed to the wrestling industry throughout their careers.
He sent the following out on Twitter in response to the news:
Triple H briefly worked for Bischoff in WCW. Then wrestling as Terra Rizin, Triple H left the company in 1995 to go to WWE. Bischoff spoke about their brief working relationship recently during an episode of his 83 Weeks podcast.
“When Hunter came in it was at a time in WCW when we were really cutting costs. Expenses were a really big issue. I think it was Terry Taylor who first introduced Hunter to us. My biggest concern with him was that he lived in the Northeast. At that point, things were so tight financially that we were looking to concentrate on the talent that lived in Atlanta, Georgia because we couldn’t afford to fly people all over the country, so that was one big issue.”
News that Paul Heyman will be the new Executive Director of WWE RAW might not be welcomed by current Universal champion, Seth Rollins. Heyman’s client, Brock Lesnar, has been involved in a rivalry with Rollins for much of the year.
Rollins had the following to say when asked on Twitter if he felt Heyman’s appointment was fair and if he would request a transfer to Smackdown.
A) it’s not fair. B) I won’t be requesting any such switch. C) Heyman is well aware of what happens if you try and cross me. And if he isn’t, all he has to do is consult his client. Because that guy knows first hand what it’s like to take a beating from me. https://t.co/OjVL4qGlYY
In reality, Paul Heyman has praised Seth Rollins publicly on multiple occasions. At a live version of the “Cheap Heat” podcast held last summer, Heyman was asked who he felt WWE’s next big rebel was and answered he felt it is Rollins.
“Seth Rollins. Seth Rollins, because he continuously comes up with moves that are politically incorrect and they have to tell him to stop doing them but they become so popular that they end up saying to him ‘alright go ahead, we’ll deal with it, go do it,’” said Heyman.
“It’s because he’s innovative and he rebels against the system that tries to be politically correct and he continues to be politically incorrect and when he came up with the saying of ‘Burn it Down,’ he was being honest about what he thought would be the constraints of what was being put on him, that he’s going to break through that and do things his way and innovate a style that you can only see in a Seth Rollins match.”
In a giant shakeup to the WWE front office, Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff have both been named as Executive Directors of WWE TV. As first reported by SI.com, Paul Heyman will be put in charge of WWE RAW and Bischoff will play the same role for WWE Smackdown.
Both Heyman and Bischoff will report directly to Vince McMahon. Bischoff will also work with FOX executives when Smackdown moves to the network this October.
Breaking: WWE names Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff as Executive Directors.
Heyman is set to become Executive Director of Raw, while Bischoff will fill the same role for SmackDown Live. Both will report directly to WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. https://t.co/SIjW3G8v8T
“In their executive roles, Heyman and Bischoff will oversee the creative development of WWE’s flagship programming and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business,” a WWE press release reads. “The creation of these roles further establishes WWE’s ability to continuously reinvent its global brand while providing two distinct creative processes for its flagship shows.”
Paul Heyman (53) ran ECW from 1993 until its closing in 2001. He started with WWE shortly after. Heyman left the company in 2006 after the disastrous December to Dismember PPV for the re-launched ECW brand. He returned to the company in 2012 as Brock Lesnar’s advocate.
64-year-old Eric Bischoff last worked full-time in the wrestling business in 2012 with TNA. He has made scattered appearances with WWE since then, including taking part in a documentary on his career which aired on the WWE Network. Bischoff was named Executive Vice President of WCW in 1994 and was eventually named President of the company in 1997.
In recently released details regarding Heyman and Bischoff’s hiring, PW Insider is reporting WWE has been looking for Heyman to take on this role since February. Bischoff’s deal with WWE is said to have been put together in the last few weeks.
WWE has also made several other recent changes to their creative team. Jeff Jarrett was reported to have joined in March, Bruce Pritchard joined the team in February. Additionally, Dana Warrior is said to be a key creative figure as it concerns WWE’s women’s divisions.
Stay with SEScoops for continued coverage of this breaking news…
Brock Lesnar will cash in his ‘Money in the Bank’ contract this
Monday Night on ‘Raw’ according to his ‘advocate’ Paul Heyman.
Heyman made the announcement on Friday confirming that Lesnar
plans to cash in his title bout contract some time on Monday night against Universal
champion Seth Rollins.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please be advised, my client Brock Lesnar hereby cashes in the Money in the Bank contract effective this Monday, June 3, 2019 between the hours of 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET at a moment of his choosing live on ‘Monday Night Raw’ against the reigning, defending, undisputed Universal heavyweight champion Seth Rollins,” Heyman said in the video.
Lesnar made a surprise appearance at the ‘Money in the Bank’
pay-per-view where he jumped into the match at the last second and ultimately
claimed the prize for a title bout of his choosing at a later date.
Since that time, Lesnar has been making regular appearances
on television, which has been a rarity for him since returning to WWE several
years ago.
Lesnar has also recommitted himself to WWE after deciding
not to return to the UFC where it was rumored that he was going to take a fight
against heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier later this year.
When that deal fell apart and Lesnar informed the UFC that
he didn’t intend to fight again, he almost immediately began appearing on WWE
programming again.
Now Lesnar will look to regain the Universal championship
that he lost at WrestleMania 35 when he shows up during ‘Monday Night Raw’ this
week to cash in with a match against Rollins.
“A personal message to Seth Rollins from my client Brock
Lesnar — Mr. Rollins, here comes the pain,” Heyman said in closing.
Over the past several months, WWE has watched ratings for
both ‘Raw’ and ‘Smackdown Live’ lose ground but Lesnar’s reappearance has
helped surge interest in the weekly programs.
Now Lesnar will look to compete on Raw as he attempts to
take back the Universal championship this Monday night.
