10 Smartest Decisions In Wrestling History
7. Eric Bischoff's Anti-WWE Onslaught
It's tempting to draw comparisons between AEW and WCW.
The upstart league is funded by billionaire money and will erupt on American screens on TNT. The complexion of the roster is antithetical. Where WCW became competitive by recruiting and reimagining old WWF talent, AEW, consistent with its ethos and marketing, is mostly gambling on an untested youth movement and internet darlings.
But the press release that heralded the biggest non-WWE TV deal in U.S. history was very much of a kind with Eric Bischoff's (winning) mentality. "AEW offers fans less scripted, soapy drama, and more athleticism and real sports analytics," the release ran, in a direct shot at WWE's unpopular sports entertainment formula.
Bischoff's mentality manifested differently. The WWF of 1995 struggled to maximise its 'New Generation' of talent. WCW repackaged and refreshed mainstream mainstays. The WWF taped RAW. WCW would broadcast Nitro live, every week. The WWF experimented, dismally, with sub-'80s cartoon gimmicks. WCW brought in the Outsiders under their real names, adding an intoxicating pseudo-reality to the organisation. And, where Vince was staunchly resistant to outside influence, Bischoff plagiarised the cult, global wrestling fringe quite brilliantly, integrating the concepts and talent of NJPW, AAA and ECW to much commercial success and critical acclaim.
All of this elevated WCW above the WWF, before it all imploded in on itself. That's a story for another list.
The opposite list.