14. Eric Bischoff Defends WWE Working Their Audience Regarding Injuries

As seen on Raw, it was announced that Braun Strowman underwent elbow surgery and that he’ll be out of action for up to six months. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer then reported that it was just an inflated number from WWE and that Strowman will be back in about two months.

During a recent edition of Bischoff on Wrestling podcast, Eric Bischoff defended WWE’s decision to work their audience regarding injuries and below are the highlights from the podcast:

WWE put up a statement saying Braun Strowman is going to be out for up to six months. Meltzer has since come out and said that number is probably inflated and he’ll be back in mid-July. What do you think about wrestling promotions working the fans on injuries? Is that ok to lie to people about the severity of an injury?

Bischoff: “Is it ok to work an audience? Yes. Is it ok to just come out and knowingly lie to them? Eh, hard to really delineate between a good work and a lie. Let’s look at what the product is. It’s not sports. People are not betting on it and if they are they shouldn’t be. It’s not a sport it’s a story, it’s fiction and in my opinion… is it ok to manipulate perception in order to achieve an ultimate goal within the context of this artform? My answer is a definitive HELL YES!”

Don’t you start to question other news from them if you know they may be working you?

Bischoff: “NO! It’s good! Here in lies the magic! If you can get people asking questions you can get them to tune in. You can get them to discuss. You can get them to debate. You can get them to disrupt because they are engaged.”