By: Blaine van der Griend
The Fight Network
There could be a reality check in store for wrestling fans next Saturday, courtesy of former WCW and WWE personality Eric Bischoff.
Bischoff joined Jason Agnew and John Pollock on Live Audio Wrestling last Sunday to discuss his role as executive producer of a new reality series on CMT, which debuts this Saturday, October 18. Bischoff will be working with long time friend and colleague Hulk Hogan and the show will be called Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling.
Bischoff told the LAW that by presenting a wrestling show in reality format, he hopes to attract an entirely different audience than that of either pro wrestling or reality television.
"Reality's not going anywhere," Bischoff said. "But we thought we had a very good concept and a unique format, where we could marry the best of a reality format with wrestling."
Bischoff says he believes the show will be a success, not only because of this new audience, but also because of the current audience who are still fans of either pro wrestling or reality shows.
"We did our best to put together a really good reality format in all of the elements to make a good reality show," Bischoff said. "But we also did a pretty good job of giving wrestling fans something that was different from wrestling shows that they've been watching for the last eight or ten years."
Bischoff did give LAW listeners a brief description of what they can expect from the show. He says the participants on the show will be divided into two teams of five, and the teams will have a match during the show. The team that has the best match will receive immunity, while the team that has the worst match will have two of its team members compete in a match with each other and one of those two will be voted off the show.
Bischoff hopes to make a huge splash in the reality television industry, but he says pro wrestling doesn't have the same impact it once did. He hopes to give wrestling fans something that they haven't seen before.
"I have a lot of respect for the WWE, but the truth is I think the product is as stale as stale can be," Bischoff said. "For our show, we were looking for personalities and characters and chemistry that we knew could probably create drama and conflict and all the things that make reality television work."
Watch Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling this Saturday, October 18 at 8/7 Central. For other interviews, listen to Live Audio Wrestling every Sunday at 11 p.m. on Newstalk 1010 CFRB, Sirius 98 Hardcore Sports Radio and www.liveaudiowrestling.com
Send us a news tip: newstips@wrestlingobserver.com
Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news from this site or from our newsletters, please include a link to www.wrestlingobserver.com
For the most in-depth and detailed news and analysis on pro-wrestling and MMA, always turn to Wrestlingobserver.com/Figure Four Weekly Online, the #1 website of its kind on the Internet. Members receive online access to both the Wrestling Observer and Figure Four Weekly newsletters and growing archives, Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer three times per week, the popular Bryan and Vinny Show twice per week, additional radio shows including Figure Four Daily with Alvarez, Mike Coughlin's Five Star Radio, the Dr. Keith Lipinski Show, The Adam and Mike Big Audio Nightmare, Tough Talk and the Karl Stern Wrestling History Show, the infamous BOARD, and more! Members also have full access to the thousands of hours of audio in our radio show archives which date back to 2005. For your convenience, we offer secure online payments using your VISA, Mastercard, American Express, Discover card or PayPal account. Don't miss out on the fun, sign up now! Don\'t miss out on the fun, sign up now!
Want full access? QUICK AND EASY $10.99 SIGNUP!
