10 WCW Ideas Eric Bischoff Can Use To Boost SmackDown

9. Utilise The Cruiserweights

eric bischoff
WWE.com

While WCW famously paid a huge wedge of cash to bring over some of the then-WWF’s biggest stars – Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall et al – one of the reasons that Ted Turner’s rasslin’ company began to trounce its opposition was down to the in-ring entertainment offered up by WCW’s cruiserweight division.

The ex-WWF guys may have brought eyes to the product, but it was more often than not the cruiserweights who kept viewers sticking around in terms of sheer in-ring action. For all the star power brought in by the aforementioned bigger names, they simply couldn’t match the work rate and energy of the likes of Rey Mysterio, Dean Malenko, Ultimo Dragon, Juventud Guerrera and Chris Jericho.

Over the past month or so, WWE’s 205 Live brand has really started to shine with the in-ring antics the show has served up. And given that the notion of having the cruiserweights exclusive to the Raw brand has been dropped, Bischoff could do far worse than look to showcase some of 205’s finest on SmackDown.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.