Eric Bischoff Discusses WCW’s Role in WWE’s Shift to an Adult Audience
Former WCW Senior Vice President Eric Bischoff recently weighed in on WWE’s decision to shift its target audience to adults during the Attitude Era. The WWE Hall of Famer shared his thoughts on the “83 Weeks” podcast while reviewing episode four of Netflix’s Mr. McMahon docuseries.
“This was the pivot point, in my opinion, for WWE,” Bischoff explained. “Had WWE not made this pivot — regardless of opinions on the quality or whether they went too far — without that transition from targeting teens and pre-teens to focusing on the 18-49, more specifically the 18-34 demographic, I don’t think WWE would be what it is today. In fact, I’m 100% convinced of it, especially after watching this documentary.”
Bischoff disagreed with the narrative presented in the docuseries that a controversial Shawn Michaels segment on WWE Raw in September 1997, where Michaels appeared in stuffed biker shorts, was the catalyst for WWE’s shift to an older demographic.
“Nobody pointed out the real reason WWE shifted to target the 18-49 audience — because they had to,” Bischoff said. “‘WCW Nitro’—yours truly—forced them to make that move. It wasn’t some spontaneous, creative inspiration; it was a reaction. WWE realized, ‘Damn, we have to do what they’re doing.’ And from what I’ve heard from Vince, his plan was to do it bigger and more extreme. Whether it was ‘better’ is up for debate, but it was definitely bigger and more controversial than anything we were doing.”
Bischoff emphasized that WCW’s competition pushed WWE into this pivotal shift, changing the landscape of professional wrestling for years to come.
