Eric Bischoff doesn't want wrestling to be overproduced.
Throughout his lengthy career in the wrestling business, Eric Bischoff has spent time in many of the major promotions, often serving in a backstage role of some sort. In recent years, Bischoff has taken a backseat and has remained away from the product outside of a few recent appearances for MLW.
While speaking with Fightful for a new interview, Eric Bischoff was asked about his spontaneity in wrestling. In response, Bischoff explained his opinion on the polished nature of wrestling back in 2019 and 2020.
"The spontaneity comes from the creative side of things and planning. The production values and the sense of things being overproduced, that's more of a technical approach to the product. Early on in early AEW in 2019, 2020 or 2020 WWE, I felt like the WWE product was too polished. It was too well-produced. I felt like I was watching Disney on ice. I think wrestling is better suited for feeling like you're in the arena."
Bischoff continued on and explained his preferred way of approaching TV wrestling.
"You almost want to approach the product from a production perspective—I know this will sound crazy—but in a way that the fans at home can almost smell the arena. Almost smell the stale beer, almost smell the bad popcorn. You want to make the audience feel like they're actually there and sometimes overproduction, as cool as it is, can take you out of that kind of state of mind, right? Early AEW, I think, did a good job of creating that sense of feeling like you're sitting at ringside and making you feel like you were in the arena versus WWE in 2019, 2020, was, like I said, it was just too perfect. I didn't feel like I was there."
Then, Bischoff explained how WWE production has changed in the last five years, bringing up the new camera tricks and movements that the company has implemented.
"Now fast forward here we are 2025. The WWE product is still in my opinion highly produced but done so in a way to make you feel like you're in that arena. The follow on entrances, for example, from out of the car, all the way down into the ring. I feel like I'm walking behind that talent as they're making their arrival. I feel like I'm walking through the crowd as they're making their way down the ramp to the ring. So while WWE is now probably more produced than ever, it's being produced at a very high level, but in a way that makes me feel like I'm there. I can almost smell the popcorn when I'm walking behind the talent walking into the ring."
Bischoff wrapped up the topic by explaining his stance on AEW and TNA's production values.
"AEW has kind of, they maintained they haven't increased their production values, of course. They haven't really lost any production values other than the fact that it's hard to get excited about being in a crowd of 1500 people. It emotionally takes the viewer kind of out of the ‘Wow, I'm at a cool event.’ Now you're just showing up at a party where not too many people really wanna come. And that's a different vibe. TNA, I think is still, the little bit I've seen, and it's mostly been on clips, is still kind of the old production format from probably 15, 20 years ago. It's not bad. It's just not advanced either, but they're they're making subtle, interesting, incrementally positive moves over there. So, you know, time will tell."
Elsewhere in the interview, Bischoff talked about his upcoming appearance at MLW Superfight 6. Check out his full comments by clicking here.
MLW Superfight 6 will take place in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, February 6. The show will stream live on YouTube at 9 p.m. EST.
Fans can check out Fightful's full interview with Bischoff in the video linked at the top of this article.
