WWE TV To Be Run By Paul Heyman And Eric Bischoff

WWE television is making a few changes, and that includes creating two new roles working directly under CEO Vince McMahon. Paul Heyman will become executive director of Raw and Eric Bischoff will serve in that same position on Smackdown Live.

In these newly-created positions, the two men will be a part of creative development, overseeing it across WWE's platforms. A press release stated that this position will allow WWE to progress as a "global brand" while giving each of the company's flagship shows a "distinct creative process."

Heyman and Bischoff should be familiar names for anyone who follows wrestling and WWE's brand of sports entertainment. Paul Heyman currently appears on a regular basis on WWE programming as the manager/advocate for superstar Brock Lesnar. However, Heyman's legacy in the industry comes from the time he was president of ECW from 1993-2001. ECW's brand of wrestling filled a void many wrestling fans felt they couldn't get from WWE or WCW at the time, and in a sense, this show was the spark for what would become the Monday Night Wars between WWE and WCW.

As for Bischoff, he's worked on and off with WWE in the past, but he's most known for being the president of WCW, helping create iconic storylines--like the NWO--and was a major part of securing WCW's TV deals: Monday Nitro on TNT and WCW Thunder on TBS. Bischoff was the face of WCW for years, as he inserted himself into storylines, becoming a major part of the NWO, alongside Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash.

Looking forward, it's apparent Vince McMahon will be taking a step back--but not completely away--from weekly programming as we move closer to the relaunch of the XFL, in 2020. Hopefully, having two different directors for both Raw and Smackdown will help give each show a distinct look and feel, since the newly created Wild Card Rule--where superstars from each show can crossover to the opposite--has made the brand split feel pointless.