Eric Bischoff Interview 11.4.2010
Posted by David Damage on Saturday, April 30, 2011
Under: Archive Interviews
TNA's
Eric Bischoff was the special guest on last night's live edition
(05/10/09) of the award-winning Monday Night Mayhem. You can feel The
Mayhem live every Monday night (at 7PM ET/6PM CT), exclusively on The
Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network.
Eric joined The Big Mosh &
"The Chairman of the Board" Todd Vincent for his return to "Your Home
of Wrestling Radio" & for the launch of his exclusive/all-new
monthly interactive segment on Monday Night Mayhem, "The Hot Seat With
Eric Bischoff"
His thoughts on the move of TNA iMPACT back to
Thursday nights, TNA never intending to compete with the WWE, & the
experience of gaining more exposure for the TNA brand as a result of
going head-to-head with World Wrestling Entertainment: "First, I don't
recall fans en mass telling us not to go to Monday nights. On the
contrary, I remember quite a bit of enthusiasm & energy, just
because it was a chance to create competition & provide an
alternative. There were a lot of fans that spoke out and said it was the
wrong decision, but there was a lot of fans that felt the other way.
What happened after the move (as we did some research, along with Spike
TV), it was determined that while there were fans who enjoyed the
competition, there was also a lot of fans that weren't able to check out
both. It was a problem for them having to switch back & forth.
Unlike the WWE, TNA does not have a lot of other programming, so there's
only one TNA vehicle out there, and putting it head-to-head made it
difficult for some fans of TNA. As far as WWE being too big to compete
with, they're a monster. We never intended to compete with WWE, we
intended to position ourselves on Monday night, because that's where the
traditional wrestling fan audience is, and we thought that would be a
great way to gain exposure for the TNA brand. That's why we went to
Monday nights, not to compete."
Rob Van Dam capturing the TNA
World Heavyweight Championship, the signing of RVD/what if means to the
company now & for its future: "RVD, in my opinion, is one of the
better things that has happened to us in a while. He's just got a
different vibe, a different energy, and he appeals to a different
audience again. Hoping that change (the TNA World Title change) is
something that resonates with people who might not have otherwise tuned
into TNA previously. One of the reasons RVD is here is to expand our
audience, and he is clearly a guy that is worthy of being the TNA World
Heavyweight Champion."
Those Who Feel "The Blueprint" Matt Morgan
is getting lost in the shuffle of TNA's tag team division & the
chances of seeing him return to the singles spotlight: "I'm not the head
of creative, and I don't pretend to be. I'm a big supporter of Matt,
and his future will be determined in the weeks & months to come. One
of things I'm not going to do is talk about storylines & internal
creative decisions, because A) there's enough spoilers out there; I
don't need to do any it, and B) it's not fair to a lot of other people
involved. Matt Morgan is a great talent; I think he's got a bright
future, and those of you who are Matt Morgan fans should just sit back,
watch, & enjoy."
The confidence he has in TNA going to
improve in the months ahead & his reaction to certain fans
complaining about particular aspects of TNA, including those who are
harsh to criticize the older wrestlers/talents in the company: "Is TNA
going to improve? Absolutely. Anyone who is objective who's been
watching it for the last couple of months, would be hard-pressed to deny
that this product is evolving...and in a good way. In terms of older
wrestlers, I heard exactly the opposite. I heard a lot of people say,
who are fans of both WWE & TNA, they like seeing brands, names,
& faces they recognize and that they have a history with. That's not
to say they want to see them dominate the show, and we don't need
research to tell us that. I'll be careful to say that 'all fans want to
see one thing,' because that's not true."
The likelihood of
seeing either Jim Ross and/or Paul Heyman in TNA soon: "I don't know. I
don't know what Jim is thinking & his point of view. I like Jim, and
he & I have a pretty good relationship, and we stay in touch from
time-to-time. I don't have this kind of conversation with him, and quite
frankly, it's been a few months since I spoke to him. Heyman...no idea.
But who knows, time will tell. Never say never right?"
More is
contained in the debut edition of "The Hot Seat With Eric Bischoff,"
including his candid thoughts on what he sees for his own personal
future in TNA, his interaction with the company's creative team thus
far, along with the likelihood of taking TNA iMPACT & Pay-Per-Views
on the road in the forthcoming months ahead, plus more of your
calls/Facebook questions! Due to an overwhelming response, "The Hot Seat
With Eric Bischoff" (flavored by Sizzlin Sauces) will return LIVE once
again on Monday night, June 7th (beginning @ 7PM ET/6PM CT) leading into
TNA's Slammiversary...exclusively on Monday Night Mayhem! TNA iMPACT
returns home to Thursday nights...just days prior to this Sunday night's
Sacrifice Pay-Per-View! Tune into Spike TV to witness a dream match
main event, as TNA World Heavyweight Champion Rob Van Dam squares off
with "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles & "The Charismatic Enigma" Jeff
Hardy, plus many of your other favorite TNA superstars/knockouts. Be
sure to call your local cable or satellite provider, and place your
order right now for TNA's Sacrifice Pay-Per-View!
In : Archive Interviews