The legendary Eric Bischoff has opened up about why fans welcome Sting back whenever the now-61-year-old returns to wrestling, but don’t give his fellow WCW alumni Goldberg the same courtesy.
Bischoff is vocal on how he believes there is a place, and always will be, for both men but told SK Wrestling of the “resentment” fans feel towards the two-time WWE Universal Champion.
“I think it goes back to the beginning of Goldberg’s career. Bill Goldberg became a megastar almost overnight. And, as a result of that, Bill Goldberg was thrust into the limelight in main event matches with top-level talent, without really having the experience that would enable him to have longer, more dramatic types of matches that you would see out of a Sting, or a Chris Jericho, or you name it, any of the other top stars.
“I think because of Bill Goldberg’s limited experience in the very beginning, and the fact that Bill didn’t really develop a much broader skill-set in terms of his technical abilities in the ring, fans sometimes look at Bill Goldberg as a limited star in terms of in-ring ability. I think there’s some resentment in the eyes of fans for that. They understand the character, how powerful the character is, but because of the limitations that he has in terms of what he can do in the ring, I think there’s a little bit of resentment or resistance to Bill Goldberg.”
Bischoff would open up about how the “prime” age for wrestlers is now older, and how older talent will always have a place in wrestling.
“There will always be a place for older talent. The key is to find a way to balance it so that the younger talent that is associated with that established talent, like Bill Goldberg, or like Sting, or like Ric Flair, you associate them with younger talent and the younger talent benefits from that association. They become bigger stars as a result of the proximity to legends and more recognized talent. But it’s all about balance. But there will always be a place, in my opinion, for older talent.”
The former WCW President went on to discuss the importance of nostalgia, and how the “generational programming” means older stars are important to bring viewers back.
“They are watching it as kids. They are watching it into their early teens and even into their late teens and early twenties and are going to college and developing relationships and have other interests. You tend to go away from wrestling; they stop watching for a while, but then they kind of come back in their mid to late twenties and early thirties. And when they got kids, they watch wrestling with their kids. It’s a generational type of programming. Like, probably like nothing else other than sports. And because it’s generational, and because people have been watching most of their lives, there will always be a place, in my opinion, for legends and older stars.”
Eric Bischoff’s 83 Weeks podcast is available via AdFreeShows.com.
H/T to SK Wrestling.