Report: Eric Bischoff Finished With TNA?

[It's Damn Real!]

According to a report by Dave Scherer of PWInsider, two TNA sources have informed him that Eric Bischoff is not backstage at the IMPACT taping, nor is he expected back in TNA any time soon.

PWI posted an update on this story yesterday also noting that Bischoff was also not in attendance at Bound For Glory, and that the talent roster was told that going forward he would be "working with the company from home", which "quite a few" took as a euphemism for his departure from the company, though there's been no formal announcement as to whether or not he is still with the company or not, or still in power.

Reading between the lines, it sure looks like TNA's creative, which Bischoff I believe was a major part of, is about to be under a new direction again.

One way or another, this should make for some interesting talking!

 

[Rayne]

But Bischoff is a Television Genius. He signs International Marketing Deals. He makes agreements with companies that other people couldn't line up. If I had the time, I'd go back to 2010 and look up all the stupid things people said about Eric Bischoff, based on two years in WCW where he lost shitloads of money. It would be a pretty good post to see it all at once.

Well, TNA gets to move completely forward now. They've needed a clean break from the disastrous Hulk and Eric Show, and it's good to see that they aren't just trading around performers.

 

[duckbutter]

If all Bischoff did was deal with the networks and negotiate licensing deals, they'd be better off. The further away from the day-to-day operations he is, the better.

I watched Impact last night for the first time in over a year and the one thing that really stood out to me was that they are really copying WWE (almost verbatim in some areas). What they really need is someone to run the creative side of the company that knows how to use talent to the best of their abilities, doesn't buy into the WWE mold, and is not afraid to take risks. They can be a former WWE guy, but not a WWE puppet. A guy like Paul Heyman would fit that mold, but he's not available, obviously.

It's been said over and over that they need to carve their own niche and that is true now more than ever.

 

[Kris Benwa]

What they should do is bring Jim Cornette back but I guess that ship has sailed too since Dixie Carter dicked him around. Idk who they're going to get to run creative now but hopefully it's someone that can do something beneficial for the company

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

Bischoff doesn't seem to bring anything to the table. I've watched TNA and the last couple years of WCW and he seems to recycle the same power struggle storyline with another lame stable. We saw it in WCW with The New Blood and now in the past few years in TNA with Immortal and Aces and 8s, It's just a bunch of attempts to re create the nWo. I understand why they hired him, he helped make WCW a success in the mid to late 90s but what has he done lately?

 

[Stormlor]

Easy E has done a lot of things in the non-wrestling business. His shows are some of the best reality shows on TV. Not my opinion, but if you look at ratings, him and IDG are doing a good good job.

As for TNA, he is an asset to the company. A lot of the segments we have been seeing backstage along with the one hour show before (Evolution?) was critiqued well.

He is a genius in the TV business, and he can boost things that TNA can't do on their own. I'm not sure if he is demanding a lot of money or if Hogan really stole the company like he did with WCW.

If Eric is out TNA, it shows the direction where TNA is going. If TNA looses Spike and can't have a TV in the works for another 6 months, then we all know the fate of TNA by now.

I know Eric can do a lot of things for the company, but is he or was he allowed to? That's my trouble because we all know well that Eric can run a company from basically nothing to prime time in a short time.

 

[Chauncy Talon]

Beside being a marketing and broadcast genius. The nWo was the only good thing he had going from himself. And in retrospect, a ton of things that happened with the nWo didn't make sense such as him joining the group.

WCW was a shit hole while he was running it. It was horrible. I really don't care for TNA and really don't understand the direction it's going but I'm just a random black guy, who's grammar is horrible, bitching about a guy who made millions off of Black and White.

 

[Rooster Smith]

Maybe you guys can help me out.

Was Bischoff running things for creative when Prichard was fired?

I don't think he was because the shows was really starting to take off after Prichard left. Him leaving is a good thing, I think.

But to my knowledge it was never confirmed wether or not that Big John was in charge or Bischoff.

 

[Fabulous Freebirds]

At first, it seemed like Bischoff was gone from TNA. But with the news breaking about TNA potentially being for sale, I am thinking that Bischoff was sent home so that he can a group of investors together to buy TNA. He goes home, gets his paperwork, finds an investor to put up the money while still producing TNA from home.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Another update via TNAInsider by way of Dave Meltzer:

Well he was sent home. He basically is getting paid until his contract is up, which is early next year… He's out of power. He's gone. Wasn't at the pay-per-view. Wasn't at the last TV. Won't be around. So, a lot of people very happy on that one because… Eric was not very well liked there.

So it sounds like the Eric & Hulk era is, for all intents and purposes, over.

A lot of folks around here should be quite happy to read this.

 

[DangerousDave]

Hopefully this development means Garrett will soon join his dad in leaving TNA. I actually like Eric, his son not so much.

 

[Sweettre15]

Update on Eric Bischoff situation:

- We’ve been covering how Eric Bischoff was sent home and talents told he would be working from home, which means he’s out of the picture as TNA’s key creative force. Bischoff will likely be paid until his contract is up in or around February 2014. There was talk this is a way to get Bischoff out of the picture but he wasn’t let go due to his contract with the company still having time left on it. What’s notable about this is John Gaburick, TNA’s Executive Vice President of Television Production, was looking just a few weeks ago at bringing Bischoff back as on-air character.

A lot of people are very happy to see Bischoff go. It was noted that he was very negative with people and most people didn’t enjoy working for him. For a long time, because of his track record as the guy who created Nitro and the wrestling boom, he was thought of highly by Spike TV officials, both for that and also being a veteran of selling TV properties, meaning he knows that language and has credentials outside of wrestling. He had been TNA’s intermediary between them and Spike but the bloom of late has been off that rose as well.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

So apparently these issues in TNA "exposed" Bischoff to Spike TV and TNA managment which I can't say I'm surprised by if it's all true.

 

[Stinger]

Hopefully this development means Garrett will soon join his dad in leaving TNA. I actually like Eric, his son not so much.

I agree. This is unfortunate because I have always liked Eric Bischoff and I was very excited when he joined TNA with Hulk Hogan. But I've concluded that Bischoff cannot be the guy in charge when it comes to a wrestling promotion. He's better suited to be a guy with some sort of influence, but not the main guy.

 

[Cereal Killer]

I don't understand why people are pleased. With Hogan, it's a different story, but Bischoff has done well for TNA. Wether it was small things like camera angles, Open Fight Night, backstage promos with the hidden man or the "Impact Rewind" segments, he has certainly made Impact Wrestling an enjoyable brand to watch. I find it no coincidence that they have gone live and on the road since Eric's arrival, and looked forward to what else he had to bring. Like many have said, he is a TV genius and that is important for the presentation of the product.

As far as creativity goes, Bischoff took charge from when Hardcore Justice took place this year at the start of August, and I have still found the story's watchable, so he was doing a good job. These next few weeks might show that Dixie Carter could find a better man or woman (as if a woman would be willing to do that) for the job. Whatever happens, I think it's safe to say Eric Bischoff was a viable asset for TNA. I'm sure several would agree but this guy has brought so much to the brand and has really changed the product. Before his arrival, TNA's style was more intense, especially with the wrestler's feuds and in the promos, which is one other thing Eric has changed.

 

[Rayne]

I don't understand why people are pleased. With Hogan, it's a different story, but Bischoff has done well for TNA. Wether it was small things like camera angles, Open Fight Night, backstage promos with the hidden man or the "Impact Rewind" segments, he has certainly made Impact Wrestling an enjoyable brand to watch. I find it no coincidence that they have gone live and on the road since Eric's arrival, and looked forward to what else he had to bring. Like many have said, he is a TV genius and that is important for the presentation of the product.

As far as creativity goes, Bischoff took charge from when Hardcore Justice took place this year at the start of August, and I have still found the story's watchable, so he was doing a good job. These next few weeks might show that Dixie Carter could find a better man or woman (as if a woman would be willing to do that) for the job. Whatever happens, I think it's safe to say Eric Bischoff was a viable asset for TNA. I'm sure several would agree but this guy has brought so much to the brand and has really changed the product. Before his arrival, TNA's style was more intense, especially with the wrestler's feuds and in the promos, which is one other thing Eric has changed.

Cool story, bro. What about the ratings?

Let's not get confused about what the job of an executive producer is. You aren't television's version of an interior decorator, you're there to put asses in seats for commercials. Professional wrestling is not an art form, unless you're filming out of high school gymnasiums and you have nothing better to sell. Professional wrestling exists as a means to make money.

So if Eric Bischoff isn't going to walk that stroll and bring in that paper.... what the fuck was his job???

This is why I repeatedly and correctly refer to Eric Bischoff as the greatest con artist in professional wrestling, and not without a large touch of admiration. The mans major career accomplishment is passing off a high-eight-figure debt to his accountant successor, followed by two reality television shows featuring K-list celebrity Scott Baio. (And a cartoon, yes, I know.) He has accomplished nothing besides burning through very large piles of other people's money in his career. And, yet, somehow, immediately after his direction causes TNA to lose faith in itself, people still repeatedly bring up his name as a buyer.

 

[BaconBits]

I don't think Bischoff is good for the wrestling business in any way, shape, or form anymore. He is throwback, with throwback ideals that simply won't be very adaptable to modern times.

For instance, he goes back to the well of some faction "taking over the company" literally every single time he's in charge. He captured lightning in a bottle with the NWO taking over and made WCW wildly successful for a time. He still thinks that that's going to work to recreate a wrasslin boom, 15 years later. When it doesn't work, he tries a different faction taking over. When that doesn't work, yet another faction... and it never works.

You know why? Because he ran that shit into the ground when he did it the first time. People don't want to see it any more. They got tired of it fifteen years ago. And his insistence on staying with it ended up having WCW collapse in on him.

His greatest achievement was also his greatest failure, and will continue to be his biggest failure. if he could get the fuck over himself, he'd realize that.

 

[Cereal Killer]

Cool story, bro. What about the ratings?

Let's not get confused about what the job of an executive producer is. You aren't television's version of an interior decorator, you're there to put asses in seats for commercials. Professional wrestling is not an art form, unless you're filming out of high school gymnasiums and you have nothing better to sell. Professional wrestling exists as a means to make money.

So if Eric Bischoff isn't going to walk that stroll and bring in that paper.... what the fuck was his job???

This is why I repeatedly and correctly refer to Eric Bischoff as the greatest con artist in professional wrestling, and not without a large touch of admiration. The mans major career accomplishment is passing off a high-eight-figure debt to his accountant successor, followed by two reality television shows featuring K-list celebrity Scott Baio. (And a cartoon, yes, I know.) He has accomplished nothing besides burning through very large piles of other people's money in his career. And, yet, somehow, immediately after his direction causes TNA to lose faith in itself, people still repeatedly bring up his name as a buyer.

Hulk Hogan, the most recognised icon in sports-entertainment did not raise the ratings for TNA, and for those times which were "better before the cancer arrived" the ratings weren't any higher, and people still point fingers at Eric Bischoff. Rating averages were highest in 2011, higher than any other year. Yes he was an Executive Producer, but with a decline in wrestling fans over the years, I doubt there is anyone that can actually increase those ratings significantly with ease. Even if he wasn't the EP, he did improve the presentation for the fans that do watch TNA, which I suppose is worth doing, as it is (again) difficult to raise those numbers and put asses into seats.

 

[Rayne]

Hulk Hogan, the most recognised icon in sports-entertainment did not raise the ratings for TNA, and for those times which were "better before the cancer arrived" the ratings weren't any higher, and people still point fingers at Eric Bischoff. Rating averages were highest in 2011, higher than any other year. Yes he was an Executive Producer, but with a decline in wrestling fans over the years, I doubt there is anyone that can actually increase those ratings significantly with ease. Even if he wasn't the EP, he did improve the presentation for the fans that do watch TNA, which I suppose is worth doing, as it is (again) difficult to raise those numbers and put asses into seats.

And guess who the guy ultimately responsible for the utilization of Hulk Hogan throughout TNA's television properties and other media ventures was?

Oh, shit.

His job wasn't "try your hardest, and if you don't succeed, it's not your fault." This isn't high school. His job, end of the day end of story no excuses, was to properly utilize the financial investment TNA placed into their company starting in late 2010. It's becoming clear to just about everyone that he failed. It's not "he failed, and, aw, well, tough media environment." The job of an executive producer is to make something people want to watch.

If no one else could do it better, you might as well get someone cheaper. As far as his job goes- if those fans he's 'making the product better for' aren't spending any more money than they were- who cares???? Eric Bischoff's job wasn't to make art, it was to make money. Anyone who's looked at his career knows that he has an absolutely horrible track record of bringing in money.

 

[shalliin]

And guess who the guy ultimately responsible for the utilization of Hulk Hogan throughout TNA's television properties and other media ventures was?

Oh, shit.

His job wasn't "try your hardest, and if you don't succeed, it's not your fault." This isn't high school. His job, end of the day end of story no excuses, was to properly utilize the financial investment TNA placed into their company starting in late 2010. It's becoming clear to just about everyone that he failed. It's not "he failed, and, aw, well, tough media environment." The job of an executive producer is to make something people want to watch.

If no one else could do it better, you might as well get someone cheaper. As far as his job goes- if those fans he's 'making the product better for' aren't spending any more money than they were- who cares???? Eric Bischoff's job wasn't to make art, it was to make money. Anyone who's looked at his career knows that he has an absolutely horrible track record of bringing in money.

Well let's be fair to the idiot for a bit. He did bring in a lot of money for WCW for a few short years. The problem is that he did it by spending even more money then he was bringing in. So it's not that he didn't bring in the money, it's that he still resulted in a net loss for the company since he raised expenses far beyond what the market was going to allow him to bring in and cover. It was a similar effect in many to a Ponzi scheme.(aka pyramid scam) Where at first as you look at it loosly it seems solid and people do seem to be making money, but as more people get involved, there is less money to spread around, and only the select few are making money, while the company as a whole collapses around them, unable to pay for and support all the people involved. So if EB's case only the 'big names' like Nash, Hogan, Hall, and the other guys who jumped from WWE for the money ended up getting any of the money that was coming in, while the rest of the company as a whole was basically hemeoriging money like it was going out of style.
He did help raise the profile of the company, and the business as a whole, but that was also his downfall, as once Vince caught on to what the audience were showing a preference for, he turned his team around and started giving them what they wanted. And the talent in WWE, even after the loss of a few big names, was more then a match for anything WCW could offer in the long run, as they could do so much more with the talent they had. And due to the lower cost of contracts. they could put that money into other areas of prodcution, resulting in a better looking, better written, and better designed product.
This has let EB rest on his heels and play out the same scenario everytime, not just because it's all he can think of, but because everyone (including Vince, don't forget) has a blind eye and considers what EB did to be a success, even though it led to the closing of the company and dumping of it's assets onto Vince. The people involved in the business conveniently continue to believe the hype that EB was responsible for all the success, but it was the sale/merger of aol/time warner that lead to the failure of WCW. EB has passed the buck onto the wreslters, the fans, Ted Turner, and whoever he can to cover the fact that what he did was destined to fail because it was impossible to hold those heights for an extended period of time.
And the worst thing is, people let him do it. Despite all the evidence that shows he is at best a mediocre wrestling producer/writer/etc... he keeps being given the reigns and control to some degree and when his decisions fail, it's not his fault, it was the audience who didn't like him for being him, it was the wrestlers for noat being good enough or wanting too much, or not listening and doing what he told them to. Everything but accept that he was a one trick pony, and that trick was ultimately destined for the glue factory.

 

[shalliin]

Well let's be fair to the idiot for a bit. He did bring in a lot of money for WCW for a few short years. The problem is that he did it by spending even more money then he was bringing in. So it's not that he didn't bring in the money, it's that he still resulted in a net loss for the company since he raised expenses far beyond what the market was going to allow him to bring in and cover. It was a similar effect in many to a Ponzi scheme.(aka pyramid scam) Where at first as you look at it loosly it seems solid and people do seem to be making money, but as more people get involved, there is less money to spread around, and only the select few are making money, while the company as a whole collapses around them, unable to pay for and support all the people involved. So if EB's case only the 'big names' like Nash, Hogan, Hall, and the other guys who jumped from WWE for the money ended up getting any of the money that was coming in, while the rest of the company as a whole was basically hemeoriging money like it was going out of style.
He did help raise the profile of the company, and the business as a whole, but that was also his downfall, as once Vince caught on to what the audience were showing a preference for, he turned his team around and started giving them what they wanted. And the talent in WWE, even after the loss of a few big names, was more then a match for anything WCW could offer in the long run, as they could do so much more with the talent they had. And due to the lower cost of contracts. they could put that money into other areas of prodcution, resulting in a better looking, better written, and better designed product.
This has let EB rest on his heels and play out the same scenario everytime, not just because it's all he can think of, but because everyone (including Vince, don't forget) has a blind eye and considers what EB did to be a success, even though it led to the closing of the company and dumping of it's assets onto Vince. The people involved in the business conveniently continue to believe the hype that EB was responsible for all the success, but it was the sale/merger of aol/time warner that lead to the failure of WCW. EB has passed the buck onto the wreslters, the fans, Ted Turner, and whoever he can to cover the fact that what he did was destined to fail because it was impossible to hold those heights for an extended period of time.
And the worst thing is, people let him do it. Despite all the evidence that shows he is at best a mediocre wrestling producer/writer/etc... he keeps being given the reigns and control to some degree and when his decisions fail, it's not his fault, it was the audience who didn't like him for being him, it was the wrestlers for noat being good enough or wanting too much, or not listening and doing what he told them to. Everything but accept that he was a one trick pony, and that trick was ultimately destined for the glue factory.

The only bigger conman in the business is Paul Heyman, who has also tricked people into thinking he's smarter then he really is, and better than they can hope to be. Heyman is a lightning rod of controversy in his own way, but ultimately, he too is simply another failed promoter who was able to con people into thinking he knows more about the business and how to make it work, then the most successful promoter or booker. He's Jim Jones and David Koresh without the death wish. A conniving, manipulative bastard who can convince other of his own genius despite ample evidence that he's nothing but a failure and wannabe.

 

[Just Do It]

2011 / 2012 was a great time for TNA frankly, when Eric had a lot of creative input. I'm a fan of the guy. I get the feeling he realised TNA hit an iceburg a few months back, certain people in the ship just haven't noticed yet, and Eric is on a life raft.

 

[Rayne]

2011 / 2012 was a great time for TNA frankly, when Eric had a lot of creative input. I'm a fan of the guy. I get the feeling he realised TNA hit an iceburg a few months back, certain people in the ship just haven't noticed yet, and Eric is on a life raft.

No. It wasn't. It drives me nuts when people finally want to have an actual 'what did he do for the company' discussion, and discuss everything but the results he brought home for the company.

Look, and this goes for everyone- if you've liked TNA's creative direction for the past three-plus years, that's one thing. I didn't dig it, but my tastes aren't everyone's tastes. Obviously, there's a not-insignificant amount of people tuning into Impact each week. Someone's watching this shit.

But Eric Bischoff wasn't brought on board to entertain people. A large amount of money (we'll likely never know) was invested into TNA starting in late 2009 and up until early this year. They moved to a HD camera studio, brought on performers who could have (at the time) still signed with WWE, meaning costly leverage in contract negotiations. They ran a national advertising campaign when they brought on Hulk Hogan, which most people forgot about. They invested in creating a live filming tour. A lot of money got spent, and if you're going to spend a shitload of money like that, the guy you put in charge of managing it had better be able to show a return on investment. (For the "but how do you know it was large if you don't know the amount" people who insist upon being answered every single time, consider this- you might not know what kind of airplane is flying over your head by sound, but I bet you could discern a difference between a four-engine passenger jet and a two-seater Cessna. Same exact concept.)

After all of the money poured into TNA, they're in no better of a situation than they were in late 2009. This isn't a recent phenomenon; this has been going on for years, but people have kept buying into the 'you have to give it time' philosophy.

If people want to say they liked the show- great! More power to you. But please, for the love of God, don't try to paint the Bischoff years as a success. His job wasn't to entertain you. His job was to use entertainment as a way to get more dollars out of your pocket.

I admit to a large amount of admiration for how Eric Bischoff is able to fuck up so consistently and yet convince people he's a genius, every single time.

 

[Goldie]

When Eric (presumably) leaves when his contract expires, watch him distance himself and blame everyone but him for TNA's current money losing predicament.
Though Dixie is more to blame than Eric.... the Bisch wills till have his excuses ready

 

[New Hot Fed]

One thing about EB and Hogan though, we can't really know how much power they had, if they were really bookers and deciding things and so forth. I know that Hogan gave his advice on Roode not winning the belt when he was a face at BFG against Angle cause his feeling was that Roode was a better heel. But this was just an advice, no idea if Hulk had much more power than that.