This is kind of interesting, I suppose. PAUL HEYMAN, ERIC BISCHOFF NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS OF WWE TV
It’s interesting since it appears to be something happening in real life rather than yet another storyline reset, but I think people are going to make way too much out of it way too quickly.
My initial reaction is mostly meh, whatever. I hope for change in the product, but I’m not going to set those hopes very high because of six words in the story that stick out like a sore thumb.
“Will report directly to Vince McMahon.”
Unless there are more changes to come, we have to go with what we know. And what we know is that Vince McMahon can’t keep his hands out of anything. It’s always been said that he’s a micromanager who eats, breathes and sleeps his work nearly 24/7, 365. It’s his vision that ultimately guides WWE. Sometimes that’s an absolutely wonderful thing, other times it’s fucking dreadful. But whether you like a show or hate a show, you can be sure that he had a hand in it because almost nothing happens without his approval. If a brilliant underling puts together a well crafted feud between two guys meant to carry television for months and Vince shows up one day half way through and says “goddammit, these guys would make a great tag team,” guess what. They’re going to be a tag team.
And that’s my fear here. These appointments only mean something if they’re allowed to mean something. Is Vince going to be able to stay far enough out of the way to let them? Are the shows going to be allowed to look, sound and feel different? Will there be a less complicated creative process that allows for easier show to show continuity so that what I the fan am watching actually might make a lick of frigging sense? If those answers turn out to be yes, then great. But all we really have right now is WWE saying hey look, we’re paying some guys.
Sports Illustrated first reported that Paul Heyman has been named the executive director of Raw, and Eric Bischoff has been named the executive director of SmackDown. It was noted that both will report directly to Vince McMahon.
WWE.com also posted a story confirming the news. WWE’s article stated that Heyman and Bischoff “will oversee the creative development of WWE’s flagship programming and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business. The creation of these roles further establishes WWE’s ability to continuously reinvent its global brand while providing two distinct creative processes for its flagship shows.”
Sports Illustrated reported that the executive director positions are full-time executive roles, and WWE has “no plans at the current time for this to be introduced as part of a TV storyline.”