Optics: "The way in which an event or course of action is perceived by the public." Although not added to its definition in the Oxford English Dictionary, in professional wrestling, every star is the embodiment of a creative decision made by a team of writers in the back. Of course, with friends and family making any booking decisions, favoritism can play a hand, which either could be a fine decision with a positive reaction from the crowd, or opposite. "83 Weeks" co-host Conrad Thompson asked former WCW Executive Producer and Senior Vice President, Eric Bischoff, if it had ever crossed his mind, the optics of his creative decisions throughout his career regarding himself, his son Garett, or employees turned friends he was close to, like Diamond Dallas Page, whom the late WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall thought Bischoff was hesitant to push for fear of backstage flak he'd face from others.
"That didn't cross my mind," Bischoff said on his podcast. "I did consider Garett in the sense that I didn't want to push him too hard, too soon. Yes, he was going to get some heat because his last name was Bischoff. I expected it, anticipated it, and dealt with it. But other than that, I've never considered optics...The only optics that mattered to me was the audience reaction."
Bischoff made good with his time recently, withseveral on-screen appearances for "WWE NXT" towards the end of 2024 before joining Major League Wrestling (MLW) as its executive producer with additional on-screen responsibilities, including a temporary influence on the company's creative direction. However, his reign of jurisdiction was terminated, all thanks to the new on-screen MLW President, Cesar Duran (formerly known as Dario Cueto, the ultimate matchmaker of the now defunct "Lucha Underground"), at Intimidation Games this past March.
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