On an episode of his podcast, 83 Weeks, WWE Hall of Famer and former WCW President Eric Bischoff discussed various topics. A highlight of the episode was the recent renewal of the WWE reality series “LFG” on A&E.
Bischoff said, “Not surprised at all. I would have been shocked if it wasn’t renewed. It’s great television. It gives the audience a look inside of the process. What’s really cool about it for me, and this is the one thing that — this is the fertile ground that LFG is taking advantage of. When it comes to any other sport, and we’re categorizing WWE as a sport for this purpose. But we know the process — if you play football as a child, you’re exceptional at it, and you get picked up by a college, perhaps a scholarship. You move on to the Draft, and then hopefully, like 1/10 of 1% of the people that go through the process actually make it to the NFL. Same thing with the NBA. We understand the process. How someone who’s in their teens, for example, end up becoming a professional in their sport. But with professional wrestling or sports entertainment, it’s kind of a mystery. And people come from all different backgrounds, and they find their way into sports entertainment in so many different ways.”
On the WWE Performance Center:
“But I think the Performance Center, what WWE is doing, is creating a process where you get the best athletes, the best performers, in a deliberate kind of control progression. And the viewers get to see inside, they get to understand what it takes to become a star in WWE. What is that process? What are the challenges? Who are these people? Where do they come from? All of that engages the audience in an entirely different level than the action you see in the ring — which is obviously important — or the promos. Equally as important, in some respects more important in terms of defining and building a character that people care about. And the Performance Center, LFG, gives you an inside look at that to better understand it, and ultimately, to have a better appreciation for it.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
