The WWE announced back on Oct. 15 that Eric Bischoff was being replaced as the executive director of Friday Night SmackDown just four months after the company had rehired him and trumpeted his new position. Bischoff initially commented by congratulating Bruce Prichard on taking over the position, but on Monday he was able to give his side of the story on the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast. The former WCW executive producer said he was disappointed about how things turned out, but added that he had no regrets about returning to the company.
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“My feelings right now are, number one, I’m really grateful for the opportunity to work in WWE,” Bischoff said. (h/t Cageside Seats) It didn’t work out the way I wanted it to work out. It clearly didn’t work out the way Vince McMahon wanted it to work out. But that happens. I’m not taking any of it personally. Professionally, I’m taking a hard look at it and thinking it through. More than anything, I’m grateful for the opportunity. Part of the reason is I am, I had a chance to work with a great team of people. The writing staff for SmackDown in particular, as well as a lot of other writers who were on Raw. They are very, very talented and unbelievably hard working and dedicated group of people. Just to have the opportunity to work with people like that, was worth this experiment.
“I didn’t come here thinking I was going to be in WWE for five or 10 years,” he added. “I looked at it as a relatively short term opportunity, meaning 2-3 years. I didn’t think it would be quite this short term, but sometimes that happens. WWE is a great company with a very defined culture and process. I didn’t necessarily fit into it. That’s just the way it is. I’m not sad, disappointed, any of those things. Just looking forward to the next opportunity, whenever and wherever that may be.”
Shortly after his departure from the company Bischoff was booked to appear at Starrcast IV in early November. He’ll likely have plenty to say about his brief tenure there.
In a press release, WWE spoke highly of Prichard leading into his new position.
“Prichard brings nearly 40 years of experience in sports entertainment with an extensive background in character development and creative storytelling,” the release read. “Over the course of his career, Prichard has served in a variety of roles including announcer, producer, agent and on-screen personality. Earlier this year, Prichard returned to WWE as a member of the company’s creative team.”
