Eric Bischoff criticises Pat McAfee’s removal from the WrestleMania 42 storyline

Eric Bischoff has given his opinion on Pat McAfee's withdrawal from the WWE angle in the final stretch towards WrestleMania 42. In his podcast, the former WCW head stated that these types of situations are not unfamiliar to him, although he assured that he never experienced anything exactly the same during his time leading the company.

Bischoff explained that when a celebrity enters a wrestling storyline and then decides to step aside, the problem not only affects the script, but also the public perception of the guest themselves. In his view, someone like McAfee or Jelly Roll does not want to be involved in a negative reaction that could damage their personal brand.

If you're someone like Pat McAfee or Jelly Roll, you don't want to get into that mess. You're not interested, you're not that type of person, you know, now it's hurting your image. Now you're not as cool as you were before stepping into the ring.

The former executive also pointed out that these types of cases complicate the work of those responsible at WWE, from the creative side to the executive leadership. In his opinion, McAfee's departure reflects how delicate it can be to integrate external figures into high-profile stories when the fans' response is not as expected.

Bischoff's conclusion is that, if McAfee really stepped aside due to the negative reaction, then the decision makes perfect sense from a business perspective. For him, a celebrity does not want to lose the shine gained outside the ring by getting caught up in a story that doesn't resonate with the audience.