10 WCW Ideas Eric Bischoff Can Use To Boost SmackDown

3. The NXT New Blood

eric bischoff
WWE

WCW’s whole New Blood concept had its fair share of problems, yet there is a nugget of an idea there that actually made sense: focus on your rising superstars.

When Eric Bischoff returned to WCW in 2000, he and Vince Russo decided to focus on the younger roster members, famously stripping all current champions of their belts. Now, while many will simply think back to Hulk Hogan vs. Billy Kidman at Slamboree '00, there’s a lot from the New Blood days that Bischoff can implement on the SmackDown brand.

Stripping all champions and forcing upcoming stars down the audiences throat may well be one step too far, but Eazy E should be doing all that he can to have some fresh NXT talents at his disposal. Former NXT Champions Andrade and Aleister Black are prime examples of megastars waiting to explode on the main roster, and then there are names such as Johnny Gargano, Matt Riddle, Undisputed Era, and Velveteen Dream who are currently in NXT and ready to be handed the ball.

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Senior Writer

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.