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Former WCW Senior Vice President Eric Bischoff has shared insights on WWE’s strategic decision to pivot its target audience to adults during the Attitude Era. On his “83 Weeks” podcast, Bischoff reflected on episode four of Netflix’s “Mr. McMahon” docuseries, emphasizing the significance of this shift.
“This was the pivot point, in my opinion, for WWE,” Bischoff stated. “Had WWE not made this pivot — regardless of one’s opinion on the quality of it or whether they went too far — if it hadn’t been for the transition from a teen and pre-teen focus to targeting adults aged 18-49, particularly 18-34, I don’t think WWE would be the WWE we know today. In fact, I’m 100% convinced of it, especially after watching this doc.”
Bischoff disagreed with the narrative that a controversial segment featuring Shawn Michaels on “WWE Raw” in September 1997 — where he donned stuffed biker shorts for an in-ring interview — was a catalyst for the demographic shift.
“Nobody mentioned that the reason WWE went after the 18-49-year-old audience was because they had to; they were forced to,” Bischoff asserted. “‘WCW Nitro,’ yours truly, forced them to do what they did. It was a reaction, not some spontaneous inspiration. It was a realization that, ‘Damn, we’ve got to do what they’re doing.’ After hearing Vince talk, he was determined to do it bigger and better. I don’t know that ‘better’ is the right word, but definitely bigger and definitely more controversial than anything we were doing.”
While WCW and Bischoff had the upper hand during the Monday Night Wars in the ’90s, WWE and Vince McMahon ultimately emerged victorious in the long run.
