Eric Bischoff vs. Vince McMahon
All is right in the universe.
I never really liked Bischoff in WWE. Don’t get me wrong. He was great, if not the greatest General Manager Raw had. He gave it a reason to exist. He gave the gimmick position weight. Today, it is a meaningless title. But he just didn’t seem to fit in an alliance — however shaky — with Vince McMahon.
Bischoff left and found greener pastures with Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling. Yeah, I’ve raked the show over the coals. I’ve done my share of poking at Bischoff. But this time, it is hard not to see his side on this.
Vince McMahon and WWE have been on a tear as of late. First, they take digs at the most recent UFC pay-per-view that featured their former champ taking that group’s heavyweight title. The brief article/blog was written in a curt and highly sarcastic way regarding the quality of UFC bouts and the pay-per-view not having enough matches to cover its scheduled programming time.
Stones? Glass houses? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
So, for no reason, they fired a shot over UFC’s bow.
Most recently, they have shot their cannon in another direction. Bischoff and Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling. A cease and desist letter was sent ordering the members of the CMT reality show to stay away from WWE wrestlers/superstars/entertainers. Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake was singled out by being ordered to stop using his gimmick name in CCW.
A few weeks ago, I got on TNA’s case about acknowledging/ripping on the competition. It only gives WWE publicity and does nothing for the organization mentioning it, namely TNA.
Well, the shoe is on the other foot. Rule #1 about not giving credence to the competition has been broken.
By WWE.
Sheesh. What’s the problem? WWE is still on top of the mountain. CCW’s ratings donât come close to Raw, ECW or Smackdown. WWE is a better-known brand and enjoys more name recognition than UFC. They don’t have much threatening them, yet they feel so threatened.
Look, if “Brutus ‘The Barber’ Beefcake” is the intellectual property of WWE, they should be able to prevent Ed Leslie from using it. But let’s disregard the law and their rights for a moment. First, they haven’t used the name or gimmick for years, if not a decade or so. Second, they had to have been aware of Leslie’s use of the name long before that letter ever showed up.
Add to that Jimmy Hart having his personal appearances for WWE abruptly cancelled. Coincidence? Perhaps. Scurrilous internet rumor? Maybe. But, if it’s true, itâs a petty and small move no matter how you slice it.
Maybe itâs the constant scrutiny that WWE is under. They are a publicly held company who must answer to stockholders. They are drug testing like never before and subsequently suspending and releasing wrestlers who violate their drug policy. They are trying to sidestep certain taxes by transforming themselves into an entertainment company.
So much pressure. So why not take it out on UFC? Why not go after CCW? Why not create a figment of their twisted imagination and release a story about an unconscious Jeff Hardy? Sorry, digressing on that topic again.
Note to WWE: When you try to hurt the competition, you only make them stronger.
