On a recent episode of "After 83 Weeks with Christy Olson," Eric Bischoff shared his thoughts on MJF’s recent encounter with a young fan, reveals who he thinks is to blame for the incident and praises MJF’s character work. You can check out the full podcast in the video at the top of the page.
Fightful was sent the following highlights:
His response to MJF giving a 7-year-old fan the finger: “My first reaction was, I wouldn’t have done it. But I also understand it. It’s a very tricky thing, because people, when they come to meet and greets…I’ve found that fans really do want to see the character. They really do want to experience the character in real life and in person, more than they want to interact with the guy who plays the character.”
Eric backtracks on whether he would pull the stunt himself: “I understand it. I’m not going to criticize him for doing it, because he was staying in his character and that’s generally what people want to see. But it was a judgment call, and I’m not sure how I would’ve reacted. If I was MJF, I probably would’ve done it myself at his age.”
On the young fan’s family speaking out about the incident: “Especially if the dad knows the character and knows who MJF is, there’s some responsibility on the dad’s part too. If the dad is that sensitive to it, or thinks his son may be that sensitive to it because his son may not understand that [MJF] is playing a character, then that’s the dad’s responsibility to some degree—maybe a large degree.”
Eric’s opinion of MJF as a performer: “I think the world of [MJF] as a character. I think he’s a great, great young talent with an amazing future. He cuts one of the best promos in the industry as of right now, in my opinion. I think that puts him head and shoulders above a lot of people.”
