WWE Fire Eric Bischoff - SmackDown In Crisis!
Bruce Prichard replaces Eric Bischoff as SmackDown Executive Director.
Eric Bischoff is OUT as WWE SmackDown Executive Director.
WWE.com broke the news last night, first announcing that Bruce Prichard had taken the former WCW man's role, before confirming that "Bischoff is no longer with the company" via follow-up statement.
Bischoff had only been in the role since June, when he and Paul Heyman were brought in as part of a major organisational shake-up. It was immediately reported that unlike Heyman, Bischoff would have little creative input and would largely focus on other areas of the brand. The circumstances leading to his departure are currently unknown.
Eric tweeted the following shortly after the news broke:-
PWInsider have reported that while WWE's decision to get rid of Bischoff "came out of nowhere," people close to the matter didn't consider it a shock at all. Their report adds that Eric was informed he was being let go after a creative meeting in Stamford, CT on Tuesday, and that he probably isn't beholden to a standard WWE 90-day no-compete clause as he wasn't onscreen talent.
Prichard has been back in WWE since February. Initially brought in as a member of the creative team, it'll be interesting to see what changes he brings to SmackDown - if any.