On a recent edition of his “83 Weeks” podcast, Eric Bischoff recalled WCW holding TV tapings at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) in Florida starting in 1993.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On stopping live event touring: “Yeah. It changes everything. And that was I think one of the reasons why it took so long for WCW to really get on track, because of the people that came before me. We’re really focusing on trying to replicate, or duplicate really, the WWE business model. And WCW wasn’t set up for the WWE business model because it was a television company. What does that really mean? It means the television show is the priority. Not the pay-per-views, not the live events, not the licensing, not the merchandising. The number one goal for WCW was to maximize the television opportunity and impact for Turner Broadcasting. Of course live events were important in that equation, certainly with pay-per-views because that was really the only profit center in WCW for really until about 1995-96.
“But first and foremost, we are a television company. And I think a lot of people — well, I think most of the people that came before me and certainly a lot of the people that were there once I became executive producer or vice president or whatever — had a hard time adjusting to that concept. Because everybody came from the territory system. Everybody other than me I guess, you know, I guess I could say I came from the territory system because that’s what AWA was and that’s where I got my beginning. But keep in mind when I got to AWA, Verne was hemorrhaging money. He was funding the company out of his own savings and retirement. The things that he had acquired over the years such as real estate, kept taking out mortgages and increasing the size of those second and third mortgages just to keep the company afloat. So although they toured occasionally, I don’t even want to call it a tour because most of the time they were one-offs within a Midwest, a couple of hundred miles of Minneapolis. But for the most part, even Verne was really just producing his television shows, one for syndication and one for ESPN. But you look at Dusty Rhodes and the entire crew of people that worked with Dusty prior to me arriving, and subsequent to me arriving, all of them — Mike Grams, Magnum [TA] — all the staff came from that territory system. And it was an adjustment for them to think about the company as a television company only, and certainly in the business side of things.”
On coming up with the idea to tape TV from Disney Studios: “It was a decision born out of necessity. At the time we had three syndicated programs. We had Worldwide, which was our syndicated program, that’s the one that was distributed amongst more television stations across the country. Second to that was WCW Pro which, by the way, was the show [where] Diamond Dallas Page and I, I did play-by-play, Page did color on WCW Pro. There was the third syndicated show called WCW Main Event, but what that was was kind of a little bit from WCW Saturday Night, a little bit from the main event TBS show, and maybe 1 or 2 original matches for Main Event shot on the road. And it was kind of all cobbled together if you will. But the primary show, the one that we really made the most money from in syndication, was Worldwide. And in order to produce those three syndicated shows, while WCW Saturday Night was produced inside of Center Stage every week, the syndicated shows happened on the road. So we would travel once every two weeks or three weeks, whatever the schedule was at the time when I first started this. We would travel to Anderson, South Carolina, or Rome, Georgia, or Huntsville, or somewhere close, reasonably close to Atlanta so the talent could all drive and production could all drive. And there were a lot of great venues in those areas because as you know, you live in the South. There’s a lot of small communities all within 75 miles of each other. They’re big enough, they’re large enough population, 50,000 – 75,000 people where you could run a wrestling event and theoretically draw an audience when you have that much population. And there were so many of those markets around the Southeast that it made it easy initially to take the show on the road to produce.
“The problem was we were never hot to begin with. I say ‘we,’ this was before I even got there. WCW was never hot as a ticket. Live events really never got off the ground before I got there or even while I was there initially as an announcer. When it comes to producing television, we’re going to these small markets and these really nice arenas. You know, you look at AEW now, they’re typically going into — or they’re configured, at least they’re going into big arenas, which I don’t understand. But they’re cutting them down and scaling them for about 5,000 seats on average. Some of them bigger than others, obviously, depending on the market. But — and WCW tried to do the same thing. The problem is that WCW couldn’t get — if we got 1200 people to show up to a television taping, that was a good day. That was a good taping. It was not unusual for us to end up with 500, 600, 800, 700 people. We put six, seven, 800 people, even a thousand people, inside a venue that’s built and designed for 5,000, it gets to feel really empty really quick. Especially when the audience that you did bring in isn’t really motivated. They got their tickets for free. It was two for one, three for one, ‘buy a Slurpee, get a ticket’ kind of thing where we were giving them away. And WCW had been papering, as we refer to that technique or that strategy. We had been papering television tapings for years. That became the norm.
“So those people that would take those tickets and use those tickets were not like an AEW audience that you would see today. Even if it’s a smaller audience, you’ll see 3,500, 4,500 people on AEW Dynamite, for example, or Collision. And yeah, it’s not a very big crowd, but at least they want to be there. They took money out of their wallet. They’re interested enough in the product. And when they get there, they’re animated, they’re a part of the show, they’re having fun. You can make 3,500, 4,500 people work on camera. Because that audience is what brings the energy. It’s so subtle, but it’s so important. When you’re producing a show like wrestling, a live-action show, you want the audience to feel like they’re there or feel like they wish they were there, ideally, right? And that’s really hard to do with five or seven or 800 or even 1,200 people that are only there because they got a free ticket and there’s nothing else to do that night. That was the reason why I had to find an alternative. Also, I really wanted to increase the production values. That was like the first thing on my list.”
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In the world of professional wrestling, there are many behind-the-scenes decisions and strategies that shape the industry. One such decision was made by WCW (World Championship Wrestling) in the early 1990s when they started holding TV tapings at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) in Florida. This move had a significant impact on the company and its approach to producing wrestling content.
Eric Bischoff, a prominent figure in the wrestling industry and former executive producer of WCW, recently discussed this decision on his “83 Weeks” podcast. He shed light on the reasoning behind WCW’s shift towards prioritizing television production over live events and touring.
According to Bischoff, WCW was primarily a television company, with the goal of maximizing the television opportunity and impact for Turner Broadcasting. Unlike WWE, which focused on various revenue streams such as pay-per-views, live events, licensing, and merchandising, WCW’s main focus was on its television show. This difference in approach stemmed from the fact that many of the people involved with WCW came from the territory system, where live events were the primary source of revenue.
Bischoff explained that WCW’s live events didn’t gain much traction before his arrival. They struggled to attract a significant audience, often drawing only a few hundred people to their tapings. The company resorted to giving away free tickets and papering the events to fill the venues. This resulted in an audience that lacked motivation and enthusiasm for the product.
To address this issue and improve production values, Bischoff came up with the idea of taping TV shows at Disney Studios. This decision was born out of necessity, as WCW had three syndicated programs that required production on the road. By taping at Disney Studios, WCW could create a more visually appealing and immersive experience for viewers.
The move to Disney Studios not only provided a change of scenery but also allowed WCW to tap into the magic and production expertise of Disney. The iconic Disney backdrop added a level of excitement and spectacle to the shows, enhancing the overall presentation. Additionally, the partnership with Disney helped WCW attract a larger audience, as wrestling fans were drawn to the allure of watching their favorite wrestlers in a Disney setting.
Bischoff’s decision to tape at Disney Studios was a game-changer for WCW. It allowed the company to differentiate itself from WWE and create a unique product that stood out in the wrestling landscape. The improved production values and the association with Disney helped WCW gain more attention and credibility in the industry.
While WCW ultimately faced its share of challenges and eventually folded, the decision to tape at Disney Studios remains a significant moment in wrestling history. It showcased the importance of production values and the impact they can have on the overall viewing experience. It also highlighted the need for wrestling companies to adapt and find innovative ways to engage their audience.
In conclusion, Eric Bischoff’s recollection of WCW’s decision to tape TV shows at Disney Studios provides valuable insights into the inner workings of the wrestling industry. This move not only changed WCW’s approach to production but also had a lasting impact on the company’s image and fan engagement. It serves as a reminder of the importance of adapting to new strategies and embracing unique opportunities in the ever-evolving world of professional wrestling.