Eric Bischoff Says WWE Should Follow International Demand

Eric Bischoff says WWE should keep taking major shows abroad when the demand and live crowd response justify it. Asked whether that approach could alienate fans in the United States, Bischoff told Conrad Thompson on 83 Weeks that he does not see a delicate balancing act.

Thompson raised the prospect of more international events and the disappointment of fans who cannot travel to them. Bischoff’s answer focused on the market that gives WWE the strongest business and the best television atmosphere.

“I think you go where the demand is. And if the crowds are hotter, they’re bigger, they sell out faster, yeah, you focus on that market. If it’s hotter than, you know, if you’re comparing international events to domestic events, you go where the business goes.”

Bischoff took a hard line on online complaints about overseas shows, describing the harshest critics as “the lowest form of life in the internet wrestling community.” He said some fans who genuinely wanted to attend would be disappointed and still watch the event.

“Are there some people that would have liked to go, that had the money to go and actually would have gone, that are disappointed? Sure. But are they going to not watch? No. The only people that are bitching about it really don’t matter. So, that’s why I say, go to where the demand is.”

He argued that ticket revenue is only part of the calculation. A hot crowd, he said, gives the television audience a stronger show and can shape how viewers respond to a match.

“Go to where you get the best, not only the most money, that’s a big part of it, but make sure that people feel like Conrad Thompson feels, because he just likes watching a show with more energy. How many times have you heard me say that the audience is one of the most important parts of any television show? It doesn’t matter who’s in the ring or what they do in the ring as much as it matters how the crowd is reacting to them.”

Bischoff used Jim Duggan’s longevity as an example of how a wrestler’s connection with the crowd can carry through to viewers at home. He returned to the same point when Thompson asked for his approach to choosing venues.

“If a guy like Jim Duggan could get a great reaction from the people in the arena, the people at home are seeing that. They’re feeling that same feeling, and that audience that are there live is actually validating their emotion and their reaction.”

“I think go where the audience is. Go where you get the best show. That would be my approach.”

WWE’s international audience has been part of its recent streaming story, including Netflix’s comments about overseas viewership. Bischoff’s remarks are his opinion on where WWE should stage future events, not an announcement of the company’s plans.

Source: 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff on YouTube.