Eric Bischoff has officially started work as SmackDown Executive Director

There’s been a fair amount of confusion about when exactly Eric Bischoff would take the reins as Executive Director of SmackDown LIVE. Many thought the episode which aired this week, on Tues., July 16, would be the first show overseen at least in part by Easy E. That idea largely seems to have come from Bischoff’s own comments about moving to Stamford, Connecticut on his 83 Weeks podcast with Conrad Thompson. Eric said he and his wife would be arriving at their new home by WWE headquarters the weekend of Extreme Rules.

And so they did. But the reports that Bischoff wasn’t on hand for or involved in this week’s show were right, too. on the most recent edition of Afterbuzz’s After 83 Weeks podcast (yep, it’s a post-podcast podcast about the podcast), taped on July 16, the former WCW head man revealed his official WWE start date - July 17:

“I’m actually watching SmackDown as we speak. I’m boning up, doing my research, getting familiar. But just got back from the dinner and I’m going into the office tomorrow - kind of getting oriented to starting the process and kicking around Monday and Tuesday next week.”

That still doesn’t sound like you can expect Eric’s fingerprints to be all over the July 23 episode. If he’s getting oriented to starting the process now, by next week he should be starting the process. It’s not like it’s a bad idea to start slow. The man’s been out of wrestling for a little while, and away from WWE’s creative process for quite a while.

Speculation that his influence will start to be seen around SummerSlam sounds about right to me.

Anyway, welcome back to WWE, Eric... Hope you survive the experience.