The official debut of WWE Backstage on FS1 isn’t until November 5, 2019, but FOX Sports showed a special preview episode this past week on October 15 (it was very successful). This will go a long way towards changing the perception of generic sports fans to view WWE superstars as legitimate athletes. This is something Triple H (who was a guest on the premiere of WWE Backstage) has dreamed of since his wrestling days.
The first important piece of information which came from this episode was the fact that, after only holding the position for about three months, Eric Bischoff is no longer working as the Executive Director of SmackDown. He wasn’t very involved in the creative process. Bruce Prichard, a 40-year veteran in the business (he came up with the masterful idea behind the debut of Kane in the first Hell in a Cell match), will be very involved creatively. Bischoff served more as a figurehead to represent the company.
The second is that modifications have already been made to the original WWE draft.
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross have been officially traded from Monday Night Raw to Friday Night SmackDown on FOX. This makes sense because the Women’s Division on SmackDown is just a little thin. Bliss and Cross also may, or may not, split as a team and perform as singles stars from here on out.
This move will help to give SmackDown some depth at the top of their Women’s Division, as Monday Night Raw clearly has the superior Women’s Division. This move is most likely to aid in positioning SmackDown as the A show in wake of its move to FOX.