Eric Bischoff Says These 2 Names Are The Only Draws Left In Wrestling
Bischoff shares his pessimistic view on today's wrestling stars.
Just a few weeks removed from claiming that professional wrestling hasn't created a legitimate star since John Cena in 2002, Eric Bischoff has named Goldberg and The Rock as the only true box office draws left in the game.
"Nobody that shows up on television is a dependable, bona fide box office draw," Bischoff said on a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast. "In my opinion, with the exception of Goldberg and The Rock, nobody has really stepped in and become a draw overnight."
It is close to impossible to determine who is or isn't a draw in the current wrestling landscape, with no promotions running fully-attended shows. Specific names spark only negligible differences in television ratings these days, including the likes of Brock Lesnar, and wrestling, as a business, is way down compared to where it was when Rock and Goldberg were in their pomp, which suits Bischoff's point.
WWE has spent years telling us that its brand is the draw, not any individual wrestler, though this increasingly sounds like a convenient excuse for a broken star-making machine. AEW, meanwhile, is too young to realistically create a star on Goldberg or Rock's level.