4 Ups And 10 Downs From WWE Raw (Dec 27)
DOWNS…
10. Wasted Opportunity
When it was revealed that Eric Bischoff would officiate the renewal of Miz and Maryse’s wedding vows, this writer and many other longtime fans immediately harkened back 19 years to one of the most infamous WWE weddings ever: Billy & Chuck’s 2002 commitment ceremony.
During that debacle, Bischoff, then the Raw GM, disguised himself as an old, doddering (and unrecognizable) justice of the peace who officiated a sham ceremony between Billy & Chuck on SmackDown. Things broke down when the wrestlers admitted that their relationship was just an act, and the proposal was a publicity stunt.
Bischoff then gave a verbal cue to trigger a brawl, with 3 Minute Warning (his Raw heavies) attacking and laying out SmackDown GM Stephanie McMahon.
So seeing Uncle Eric announced as the officiant brought all of that back… and then we got nothing. The officiant could have been anyone. But by choosing Bischoff, they (inadvertently) called back to that classic moment and then didn’t deliver for longtime fans who remembered it.