Eric Bischoff has plenty of respect for Roman Reigns and everything he has achieved, but when it comes to the WWE star’s current presentation, the former WCW President believes something is missing.

The subject of Reigns recently became a talking point on Bischoff’s 83 Weeks podcast after co-host Conrad Thompson described him as “probably the most overrated main eventer in WWE history.”

Bischoff has now expanded on his own opinion of Reigns, making it clear that his criticism is focused entirely on the character fans are currently seeing on WWE television rather than the man behind it.

Bischoff first spoke about the respect he has for Reigns, particularly after everything the former world champion has overcome during his life and career.

“I respect the hell out of Roman. It has nothing to do with respect. I look up to him in a lot of ways, you know, as a human being. Look what he’s overcome. Look at his priorities. I don’t know Roman. I’ve maybe said four words to Roman in my life. So I don’t know him, but I know of him and I know what a priority his family is. I know what he’s gone through.

“How many of us have faced the types of things and fear that Roman has and then not only overcome it but reached the level of success that he has? So my opinion of his performances as of this moment have nothing to do with the respect I have for the man, even though I don’t really know him personally. I don’t have to.”

However, Bischoff believes the problem lies in how Reigns' character has developed, or in his view, failed to develop.

The Tribal Chief character transformed Reigns' WWE career and became the foundation of one of the company's biggest storylines in recent years. Bischoff acknowledged that the formula continues to work commercially, but argued that financial success does not necessarily mean the character remains creatively compelling.

He also compared the situation to Hulk Hogan while reflecting on the debate surrounding his comments.

“But as you know, and obviously I saw the controversy kind of bubbling up over the week, and it reminded me a lot of Hulk [Hogan]. I’m kind of taking a shot at my own take, so to speak, but it doesn’t change the way I feel.

“I’m bored with him. I don’t see anything new from him. I don’t see a character evolving. When you look at a character, any character that is playing a role over an extended period of time, or even if it’s in a 90-minute movie, part of what makes watching a story and a character really compelling and interesting is the evolution of that character.

“We’re not seeing any evolution. We’re seeing maintenance, and it’s good. It’s definitely working from a financial perspective, so there’s nothing wrong with it.”

For Bischoff, Reigns has reached a point where maintaining what already worked is no longer enough to keep him personally invested. He wants WWE to introduce another layer to the character, whether through different circumstances, higher stakes or a significant change in presentation.

“There’s just nothing compelling about it. And there’s no evolution to the character. And until there’s something unique, something different, something that is an evolution of an already powerful character, I’ve seen that movie…

“So until and unless there’s an evolution in his character, in the way he’s being presented, and the stakes or the opportunity, I’m just not interested anymore because I’ve seen it all. There’s just nothing different.”

Bischoff finished by making an interesting comparison to Ric Flair, suggesting familiarity does not always hurt a wrestler if audiences remain invested in what they are doing.

“Just like a Ric Flair match, Ric Flair wrestled the same match over and over again. Didn’t care. It didn’t matter who his opponent was. He basically had the same match.”

Reigns remains one of WWE's most prominent stars, but Bischoff's argument is that the character now needs another evolution if it is going to recapture his interest.

What do you think? Has Roman Reigns' character become too familiar, or does his current presentation still feel special whenever he appears? Let us know your thoughts in the new WNS comment section!