During an episode of 83 Weeks, Conrad Thompson revealed that he had heard rumors about Vince McMahon potentially rehiring former WWE executives and engaging in discussions with experienced wrestling cameramen. Eric Bischoff confirmed he had heard similar rumblings, leading both to question whether FOX might show renewed interest in wrestling, despite previously exiting its partnership with WWE’s SmackDown. Bischoff even speculated on the possibility of FOX becoming a partner in a new venture.
Thompson: “You know, you mentioned earlier, there’s been lots of speculation, lots of rumor and innuendo about Vince McMahon starting a company. Should I say the quiet part out loud? There’s been lots of whispers. You’ve heard the same things that I have. I don’t know what’s real and what’s not, but allegedly, Vince McMahon’s people have made contact with people who have experienced shooting wrestling, maybe cameramen. And allegedly. I don’t know if this is real or not, but the rumor mill, the whispers, say perhaps FOX is holding a spot. Wow. And I think to myself, self, that doesn’t sound real. That sounds like bullshit, as my dad would say, I find myself watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, and my phone starts blowing up. ‘Vince McMahon is at the Super Bowl.’ And I’ll say to myself, ‘Self when is the last time I remember seeing Vince McMahon in a football game for a league he didn’t own?’ I don’t remember ever seeing or hearing that. And wait a minute, was the Super Bowl on FIX? Because I think it was. Now I’m not saying anything, but I am saying we’ve heard rumors that Vince has a studio and that he’s hired a bunch of former WWE executives, and then we’re hearing rumors that he’s had conversations with cameramen who have experience shooting wrestling, which seems awfully specific, and if he’s just shooting traditional entertainment, why do you need a wrestling cameraman? And we’re hearing, well, maybe he’s got a spot with FOX. And that sounds like bullshit. They just got out of the WWE business. And besides, doesn’t FOX own to be which is going to air EVOLVE? That’s a WWE product. It can’t be, wait a minute. Are you saying, Vince, was that a FOX ran Super Bowl? Hmm, I don’t know. Eric, what say you is there smoke to this fire? Or are people trying to will all of this in and try to put on their tin foil hats? Where do you land on all of this? Eric?”
Bischoff: “I’ve heard some different things, and maybe I’ve even remembered to share with you another big, or I remember to share it, but yeah, little bits and pieces, comments here or there, that kind of make you go, hmm. But part of that is because I want to go, Hmm, what if? Because, hey, it’s fun, but I just don’t see it. There’s too many there’s too many things that make sense in this rumor. Makes sense. You’ve connected some dots that are definitely dots and worthy of connectivity. But it’s not the complete picture because there’s a couple of other things that would have to happen that I just can’t imagine happening.”
Thompson: “I can’t either. I can’t imagine that it’s real, but we just keep hearing these whispers in the background. And ‘Hey, did you hear?’ and it’s like, if I’m Vince McMahon, this would be the last thing I would be interested in.”
Bischoff: “You’re not Vince McMahon, and neither am I, which is one of the reasons why I think it’s a possibility. It’s one of those dots. Remember when I say there’s dots here, he’s gonna take a lot of dots. Got to connect them all. Well, the first big dot, like the starting….is Vince McMahon. Would he really want to do this? Fuck yeah. Doesn’t mean. He can pull it off, or he or he would allow himself to try, necessarily make the decision to try, but in terms of what he would want to do because he’s not going to, he could have a really cool yacht. He could be. He could have his own little island down in Bimini, or wherever else he wanted an island. He could live an amazing life and never have to experience one moment of stress again. And he ain’t gonna do that. You might do that. I would definitely do that. He’s not gonna do that. I don’t care if he’s 98. If he’s still drawing breath, he is going to be driven to conquer something. Here’s the missing link for me, Conrad, to be just really blunt about it, do I really believe there’s a scenario or FOX Network would lay down that big of a bet on another wrestling company? I just can’t wrap my head around that part.”
Thompson: “I can’t either, you know, if it didn’t work with WWE, why would make me think it would work with a startup like Now, granted, they were looking for a return on investment, and maybe he’s going to be much more affordable now.”
Bischoff: “Now, this is another dot I could connect. What if FOX is a partner and not a distribution partner? What if they’re building their own version, and they’re gonna own it? They’re gonna own it, and they’re going to have it internet…..I’m not there yet, because that’s a giant freaking leap, but I’m not gonna totally discount it either.”
Thompson: “That’s what’s fun about wrestling. You know, what’s possible, that is right now probably the biggest what if. And although most of us would say, ‘What are the odds that’s going to happen?’ I’ve got a two screen experience going on right now. And Linda McMahon is in her confirmation hearing for the Secretary of Education right now, and she’s gonna get and never did I imagine that would be happening right now, either we’re in some sort of an alternate timeline simulation right now. Anyway, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed that. I mean, listen, I for one, hopeful there might be another major professional wrestling spin-off, or, I mean, startup, that would be fucking awesome.”
Meanwhile, McMahon faces serious legal challenges, as Janel Grant has amended her lawsuit against him, John Laurinaitis, and WWE. The suit alleges that McMahon sexually assaulted and trafficked her while she was employed by WWE, with Laurinaitis becoming involved and WWE being aware of the situation.
Previously, Thompson revealed that McMahon has been working on a new entertainment company and actively assembling a team, adding to the ongoing speculation about his future endeavors.
