Eric Bischoff described the ending of the match where Sami Zayn captured the Undisputed WWE Championship as fundamentally solid but ultimately unremarkable. Watching the sequence, which took place on the September 11 SmackDown in Mexico City, Bischoff felt that WWE seems to be missing the influence of Pat Patterson. The finish involved multiple elements: Candice LeRae distracting the referee, Johnny Gargano attempting to strike CM Punk with a belt but getting countered with a Go to Sleep move, Zayn trying to use the belt himself, Kevin Owens swinging at Zayn but hitting Punk by mistake, followed by Zayn delivering a low blow to Owens and finishing with the Helluva Kick. Conrad Thompson shared a brief 54-second clip of this finish with Bischoff before recording the 83 Weeks podcast the next day.
Bischoff’s initial impression centered on the structure of the finish. He said, “The finish was okay and fundamentally sound, but it lacked any strong emotional impact. There was no real build-up or dramatic tension—it simply felt like a sequence of moves with no deeper storytelling.” He labeled the conclusion as formulaic and emphasized that he views wrestling more from a producer’s standpoint than as a fan.
He further reflected that the match made him think the WWE was missing someone like Pat Patterson, the legendary figure recognized for crafting many of WWE’s iconic finishes and known for developing the Royal Rumble match. Although Bischoff clarified that he is not an expert on finishes himself, having never worked closely with a “finish guy” who focuses extensively on match endings, he acknowledged understanding what that role brings to wrestling.
When asked if Michael Hayes now fills that role, Bischoff responded affirmatively to some extent, praising Hayes as a brilliant mind and noting the presence of other smart individuals like Paul Heyman and Bruce Prichard who maintain wrestling psychology’s essential elements. However, Bischoff expressed concern about the growing pressure to appeal to mainstream audiences, which he believes risks losing the unique wrestling psychology that sets the sport apart from other television formats.
Pat Patterson served WWE from 1979 until his passing in 2020 and is widely credited with pioneering many of the company’s major finishes, focusing on how matches should conclude rather than on storyline writing. This isn’t the first time Bischoff has commented on the Undisputed WWE Championship recently; he also noted that frequent title changes, such as the five times the championship has switched hands in 2026 alone, can diminish a title’s prestige. Zayn’s reign started at Night of Champions in June, lasted nine days before Punk won it back on Raw in July, and then Zayn regained it on this recent SmackDown. He has also promised that Johnny Gargano will be his first challenger.
Fan Take: This insight from Eric Bischoff highlights a critical tension in professional wrestling between innovation and tradition. For fighting fans, it underscores how crucial storytelling and emotional investment are to maintaining the sport’s unique appeal, reminding WWE that preserving the art behind match finishes could shape the future of wrestling’s fan engagement and authenticity.
Source: wrestlingnews.co
