Eric Bischoff Not Sold on Sami Zayn as WWE Champion, Wants Cody Rhodes to Turn Heel

Eric Bischoff has some thoughts on WWE’s current title picture — and he isn’t holding back.

Appearing on his 83 Weeks podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer shared his honest assessment of Sami Zayn’s run as Undisputed WWE Champion, admitting he remains skeptical that Zayn is the right fit for the company’s top spot. “I like Sami a lot. I got to know him just a little bit,” Bischoff said. “A lot of things to respect, but in that role, frankly, I didn’t see it. Still don’t.”

That said, Bischoff was careful not to dismiss WWE’s decision-making entirely. He acknowledged that the company operates with a level of audience data that outside observers simply don’t have access to, suggesting there could be factors driving the push that fans and pundits can’t fully see. Invoking advice he once received from Ted Turner — “Don’t program for yourself, dummy, because there’s only one of you, and you’re programming for the masses” — Bischoff conceded that Zayn’s title reign remains “a question mark” for him rather than an outright mistake.

Where Bischoff gets more animated is on the subject of Cody Rhodes. In his view, Zayn’s underdog babyface story is crying out for a high-caliber antagonist, and Rhodes is the perfect candidate to fill that void — but only if he makes a full heel turn.

“All he needs is a really good heel, and if Cody Rhodes doesn’t become that really great heel, I’m going to be thoroughly disappointed,” Bischoff said. “Now you got a long-term story that’s believable with two amazing characters.”

Bischoff argued that Rhodes has exhausted what he can accomplish as a heroic figure and that the timing for a character change has never been better. Crucially, he doesn’t envision a bruiser-style villain for Rhodes — rather, something far more cunning. “WWE needs a vicious heel, like lie, cheating kind of heel, not a badass heel. You need somebody slippery, somebody greasy.”

He also urged WWE not to burn through Rhodes’ remaining goodwill with the crowd entirely, framing a heel run as an investment rather than a permanent departure. “You’ve still got some juice left in that lemon. Let it go while there’s still juice in it, because he can come back to it at some point.”

Bischoff closed with a bold prediction: if Rhodes fully commits to the transformation, he could become one of the best heels of his generation. Whether WWE is listening is another question entirely.