TKO President Mark Shapiro recently made waves when he stated that WWE needs to “move past” the Premium Live Events created by Vince McMahon, highlighting the success of the new “Wrestlepalooza” event. On the latest episode of the 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff analyzed the comment, calling the strategy “really smart”.
Bischoff explained that fans should pay attention when executives like Shapiro speak about the business. “When a guy like Mark Shapiro talks about the business of the sports entertainment business, I’m really interested in what he has to say, because this is one very smart, very successful, lengthy track record of success, and with someone like that who’s on the cutting edge of what, how that business is evolving,” Bischoff said.
Moving Beyond Tradition
Bischoff stated that the days of appointment television, which both Friends and the Monday Night Wars relied on, have evolved. He interprets Shapiro’s comments as a forward-thinking move to adapt to a new landscape.
“My point in all this is there are certain people in the industry at a very, very high level that have a great 2020, you know, view into. Coming next,” Bischoff said. “So when guys like Mark Shapiro going time to move beyond what I’m hearing is traditional, branded events, not taking away from but adding to something that’s culturally maybe a little bit more relevant outside the distinct sports entertainment box, they’re going to grow their business, they’re going to modify their presentation, they’re going to attract a slightly different audience with essentially the same ingredients. It’s really smart”.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit 83 Weeks with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can listen to the podcast every week on all major podcast platforms.
