Paul “Triple H” Levesque recently re-signed with WWE, which Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff has backed, stating that the Chief Content Officer even deserves a raise.
Bischoff, speaking on his “83 Weeks” podcast, touched on reports that TKO executives interfered with WWE storylines, with many alleging they undermined Paul Levesque and his creative team in doing so. Bischoff feels this warrants a raise for Levesque and said his new deal is not a surprise.
“Certainly not surprised that he got another one [contract]. And hopefully he got a raise because I think, if anything, the last couple of WrestleManias where you’ve had interference from people who really don’t understand the audience as well as they think they do,” he said.
Bischoff acknowledged that Ari Emanuel and his team at TKO have vast experience in the entertainment business, but argued that the pro wrestling audience is entirely different from other entertainment audiences.
“And I don’t mean that with disrespect because obviously Ari Emanuel and the people around him have forgotten more about entertainment and connecting with the audience than yours truly will ever experience. That being said, he doesn’t have as much experience with the wrestling audience, which is a very unique audience,” Bischoff added. “From the outside, especially if you think, you know, how things work in entertainment, and you do, based on your experience in feature films and television and other forms of entertainment, you do have an instinct. Unfortunately, that instinct doesn’t completely apply to the wrestling audience.”
TKO executive Mark Shapiro had earlier this year claimed that TKO has full creative control of WWE, in response to questions about celebrity involvement at WrestleMania 42, which was widely criticized by fans.
Read the full article here
