Eric Bischoff recently expressed his thoughts on Logan Paul’s involvement in WWE and how his success is benefiting the wrestling industry. Here are some highlights from his discussion on the 83 Weeks podcast:
Emphasizing the importance of recognizing Logan Paul’s positive impact on WWE and the wrestling industry as a whole, Bischoff said,
“You can’t [deny Paul’s success in WWE]. And my advice to the hardcore wrestling audience who may take offense to what you just said is, pull your head out of your ass. You know, Logan Paul is great for the wrestling industry. Logan Paul has brought in mainstream viewers who might not otherwise bother to check out WWE or professional wrestling in general. And to not appreciate that, or give Logan credit for what he’s doing, isn’t a sign of your undying loyalty and devotion to professional wrestling. It’s a manifestation of ignorance and not understanding how important it is for people like Logan Paul and Bad Bunny to come to the world of professional wrestling and have a positive impact on it. As opposed to some of the people who are in professional wrestling and have been for a long time, who have a negative impact on it, or the s**tstains that write about professional wrestling and have a negative impact on it.”
Bischoff also praised Logan Paul for his athletic ability and in-ring skills, acknowledging that Logan’s proficiency in the ring is impressive, especially considering the relatively short time he has spent working on his wrestling abilities.
“So before you people get up in arms and react emotionally because they feel like they’re in that clas of professional wrestling loyalists, all the nonsense that comes with it. Just recognize what’s good for professional wrestling in general, what’s good for WWE, what’s good for AEW’s business, is good for the wrestling business. And conversely, what’s bad for business, the professional wrestling business, hurts everybody. So I’ve never met Logan Paul but I admire him, respect him, and I think his ability in the ring, beyond all of the additional eyeballs he brings to professional wrestling, and helping it to not only maintain credibility in the mainstream media but expand upon it. I just have nothing but respect for the man. And athletically, in terms of what he’s capable of doing in the ring given the short amount of time that he’s probably been working at it? Is nothing short of phenomenal, even if he didn’t bring all those eyeballs and all that mainstream interest in what we all love, professional wrestling.”
When discussing whether Logan Paul should be a regular WWE star or remain a celebrity attraction, Bischoff mentioned the advantages of keeping him as a special attraction, citing examples like Brock Lesnar, Hulk Hogan, and The Undertaker.
“That depends so much on where Logan’s head is at and what his goals are. Let me first say that I’m a big fan of having talent that is special and unique, and maintaining that uniqueness and keeping them as an attraction. The challenge with putting someone — anybody, no matter who it is — out there every single week. And yes, it’s great for telling stories and it’s probably good for ratings to a degree. There are a lot of reasons why that makes sense on paper. But with someone like Logan, I would probably lean into keeping him more like a Brock Lesnar type of character, Hulk Hogan when we brought Hulk Hogan into WCW, The Undertaker in WWE later on in his career. Keeping Logan a special attraction? There’s a lot of value in that. And I would probably lean into that more than I would lean into putting him on the roster and making him a regular part of WWE content.”
Overall, Bischoff’s perspective reflects the idea that Logan Paul’s involvement in WWE has been beneficial for the company and the wrestling industry, and he views Logan Paul as a valuable asset in bringing new viewers to the sport.
(h/t 411mania)