Subhojeet Mukherjee on July 5, 2021
Eric Bischoff is a veteran in the pro wrestling business and is undoubtedly one of the greatest minds to have ever worked in it. He is well aware of the changing landscape of pro wrestling as well.
One of the most debated topics when it comes to the world of professional wrestling is definitely the concept of an off-season, similar to what happens in other sports. While some are in favor of it, others simply don’t see the need for it.
While speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, WWE Hall Of Famer Eric Bischoff revealed that he is not really a fan of the concept of off-seasons in pro wrestling. Bischoff then further explained that an off-season would lead to pro wrestlers losing their connection with the audience.
“First of all, I wouldn’t vote for an offseason. One of the reasons that wrestling works as consistently as it has since the beginning of television time is because it’s 52 weeks a year and it tours. If you take 52 weeks out of the equation and now you take touring out of the equation, you’re going to lose 60% of your audience over the course of five or six years.
Yeah, but you lose your connection to the audience. Wrestling, and here’s the mistake that a lot of television executives make, is they don’t understand the audience. The wrestling audience becomes so familiar with these characters. They identify with them. They live vicariously through them. They’re kind of, in their own entertainment way, addicted to them. If you take them off the air for three, four, or five months, they find other shit to do and other things to be interested in. The secret sauce to professional wrestling is that it’s 52 weeks a year. If you go down to 26 and you have to start your season over again and you’ve lost that daily, weekly connection to your audience, and six months later you’re going to come back with a new season, good freaking luck.”
The pro wrestling world continues to change and a variety of aspects of the product will change along with it, for better or worse. At this point in time, it is doubtful pro wrestling will ever have an off-season, but anything is possible.
h/t to Fightful for the quotes.
July 5, 2021 9:32 am
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