Eric Bischoff reveals just how over Aleister Black was with Paul Heyman
Former WCW President and WWE SmackDown Executive Director in 2019 Eric Bischoff recently discussed Aleister Black and his release from the company. One of the points that Bischoff raised was just how over Black was with Paul Heyman, who was the WWE RAW Executive Director during that same time period in 2019.
Speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff said in a half joking way: “when he [Black] first came in to WWE, Paul Heyman was huge on him. Paul was like, ready to put a blood on the table commitment to him.”
“You know, he [Heyman] really, really saw something” Bischoff added. “I was intrigued because Paul’s got a pretty good track record, right? When he gets excited about something, whether you like it or not, you’ve got to pay attention, because it’s probably going to go somewhere. So I started paying attention to him [Black], I talked to him a few times, tried to get a feel for, you know, where his head was at, what his vibe was like, learn a bit about, you know, what he saw as his character.”
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FAQ and Context
Why was Aleister Black released from WWE?
WWE announced Black’s release as part of a wider round of post-WrestleMania 42 cuts in late April 2026, alongside names including Kairi Sane, Zoey Stark and Santos Escobar.
What is Eric Bischoff’s connection to Aleister Black?
Bischoff served as WWE’s SmackDown Executive Director in 2019, working alongside Paul Heyman who held the same role on RAW. That period overlapped with Black’s main roster call-up, which is the basis for Bischoff’s first-hand take on how the company viewed him at the time.
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