It’s been less than four months since Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff were announced as the Executive Directors of Raw and Smackdown, respectively. But while there have been stories since then about Heyman taking an active role on Raw, there were persistent rumors that Bischoff was less involved with Smackdown. As of today, he’s been replaced altogether.
WWE just put out a press release announcing that Bruce Prichard is replacing Bischoff as Smackdown’s Executive Director. Prichard worked in various roles for WWE from 1987 to 2008, and is fondly remembered as the red-faced televangelist-esque manager Brother Love. After making a name for himself in podcasting, he returned to WWE last year. Now WWE says he’ll “oversee the creative development of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business.”
Here’s the full press release:
WWE NAMES BRUCE PRICHARD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SMACKDOWN®
Stamford, Conn., October 15, 2019 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that it has named Bruce Prichard the Executive Director of Friday Night SmackDown, reporting directly to WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon.
Prichard will oversee the creative development of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business, replacing Eric Bischoff.
Prichard brings nearly 40 years of experience in sports entertainment with an extensive background in character development and creative storytelling. Over the course of his career, Prichard has served in a variety of roles including announcer, producer, agent and on-screen personality. Earlier this year, Prichard returned to WWE as a member of the company’s creative team.
Friday Night SmackDown airs at 8 pm ET/PT on FOX.
