On his podcast "83 Weeks," WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff offered insights into Austin Theory's progression in WWE and the reactions from fans towards Theory.

“You have to earn their respect. You can’t shortcut that, all the pushes in the world won’t overcome a lack of respect from the audience and that respect just comes with time and consistency.

I’d probably take him off the air until I figured out what I really wanted to do with him, even if it took a couple of months of character work and exploration and trying different things and bring him back because the audience is still kind of resisting him just a bit. He’s talented too, he’s got a great look, he’s in great shape … He seems like a great character but he’s not quite hitting on all the right cylinders.”