Not every trade WWE announces was storyline based and this was reportedly the case for Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff as both began their runs as creative directors for RAW and SmackDown.
According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, both Heyman and Bischoff made legitimate negotiations and trades for talent to help create their refreshed rosters. Meltzer notes that Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman being moved to SmackDown was one specific move made by Heyman in order to accrue the talents of Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Charlotte Flair, Andrade and Buddy Murphy.
Heyman was relieved of his Creative Diretor duties last week and Eric Bischoff was let go back in October of last year. Both have been replaced by Bruce Prichard in their roles. This past Monday’s RAW was the first under Prichard and the show did happen to see a big viewership boost, the largest since the RAW after WrestleMania. The big numbers came from an increase in the over 50 demographic and teenage girls.
