Eric Bischoff believes WWE would get far more value from Tom Brady by keeping him away from WrestleMania and instead using the NFL legend to boost another major event.

Speaking on the latest episode of 83 Weeks, Bischoff discussed Brady's recent comments about wanting a WWE storyline, as well as his confrontation with Logan Paul at Fanatics Fest. While many fans have speculated about a WrestleMania appearance, Bischoff argued that WWE's biggest event does not need Brady's star power.

"If I had to make a choice right now, I would lean into not using Tom for WrestleMania, using him for something other than WrestleMania."

Bischoff explained that WrestleMania's success is largely secured months before the event even takes place, making a celebrity addition less impactful than it might seem.

"You've either got 75 or 80% of your market committed a couple months before WrestleMania, or you don't. And if you don't by then, there's nothing you're going to do that's really going to change it dramatically. You've already missed target. You can tweak it, you can adjust it, you can do some things, but nothing significant. So then I'd ask myself, okay, I know it has a certain amount of value. Do I want to put that resource, that value over here, where I know it's not really going to have much of an impact beyond a certain point, or do I want to use it over here and help elevate and create more revenue on this particular event?"

Before making any creative plans, Bischoff believes WWE should first determine exactly what Brady wants from a wrestling role.

"The one that I would ask myself before that, actually, because this is the one that matters the most, is Tom. What do you want to do?"

He also pointed out that Brady's situation is very different from someone like The Rock, who already had an established wrestling background.

"Rock was already a character, so Rock stepping into the ring would have felt reasonably organic under any circumstances because he's been there before. He's The Rock. We all know it. Tom jumping into wrestling is an entirely different move. That's a different chess move, so it has to be treated differently. We don't know if this is a one-off for Tom, or is Tom thinking, okay, I'm going to be Dennis Rodman, I'm going to do this thing on TV, and then as needed, I'm going to come in and pop the territory for a minute or two a couple times a year. That's a different strategy. Both are valuable ones."

Although he acknowledged Brady's broadcasting commitments during the NFL season could complicate matters, Bischoff believes WWE's September ESPN event, Wrestlepalooza, would benefit more from Brady's involvement than WrestleMania.

"The complication here is that I would imagine Tom has a pretty busy schedule in September. It's September 1, I got to go to work, honey. See you later. He's prepping probably now. There's a lot that goes into that role that he's in, and it's a full-time job."

"My point is that I think again this is strategy. How do I get the most bang for my buck? If Tom Brady is going to get so much coverage. This is like me, the first time I brought in Dennis Rodman and paid him a million bucks, and everybody thought I was nuts. And within like 30 days, he delivered about $30 million worth of exposure for us. This is that on steroids. This opportunity is that times 10 because of Tom's relationship with the NFL and ESPN. Who is not going to cover this story for 30 to 60 days out? And if Wrestlepalooza didn't reach everybody's expectations, tactically, I would use Tom there."

Bischoff weighs in on Tom Brady joining the TKO board

The discussion also shifted to speculation that Brady could eventually join TKO's board of directors rather than simply appearing as an on screen personality.

Bischoff praised Ari Emanuel's business network and suggested those relationships could accelerate major opportunities.

"TKO in particular, Ari Emanuel especially, his connective tissue and the depth of those relationships, the closeness of those relationships with key people in key positions. It's not like people are going into business and doing dumb s*** with Ari because they're buddies. They know Ari makes money. Ari is successful, and these people want to be in business with other successful people."

"What that access gives you is speed. What that access gives you is the ability to come up with an idea or a strategy at a Monday morning meeting at 9:48, and know that you could probably put the resources together with the right people shortly after lunch, as opposed to taking six months or a year to figure it out and build a team."

While acknowledging Brady's intelligence, Bischoff admitted he is unsure whether the seven time Super Bowl champion has ambitions in corporate leadership.

"What would Tom Brady bring to the board? That I don't know. I don't know a lot about Tom Brady, other than his football accolades. Have no idea what kind of businessman he is, or more importantly, how much interest he has in being in business. He's certainly smart. There's no question about does he have the IQ? Yes. It's a question of what does he really want to do with that IQ."

"If he's really interested in being an active board member and contributing as much as he can across those platforms, then yeah, this could be really huge because they'll surround him with people to help him make the right decisions."

He even suggested Brady's on screen involvement could form part of a broader business arrangement.

"Wouldn't it be interesting if there was some kind of a negotiation that said, well, okay, Tom, we know that you bring value, so maybe your participation is part of your entry fee, so to speak, to be on the board, which makes it even smarter."

Bischoff pitches Danhausen as the face of a WWE kids brand

Elsewhere on the podcast, Bischoff unveiled an ambitious idea for WWE to create a completely separate product aimed exclusively at children, with Danhausen serving as its leading star.

He argued that rising ticket prices and the decline of house shows have made it harder for WWE to build the next generation of lifelong fans.

"We know what we want. We want a kid that's really a kid-centric show that's really gonna fill the gap, right? Something that makes them feel special. So you create this show. I think the show has to be 100% targeted towards six to 12 year olds, or whatever the demo is. But that's the range. I don't care about any of this other stuff that's going on. I don't care how successful it is. I don't want it anywhere near this stuff."

Bischoff believes Danhausen would be the perfect figurehead for the project, with only occasional appearances from WWE's biggest stars.

"And yes, Danhausen front facing. Occasionally, can you bring in somebody that even the six to 12 year olds go, oh my gosh, he's from Raw, or she's from SmackDown? Yeah, you do that every once in a while, but here's the mistake somebody will make: they'll try to blend it too much."

He added that WWE should take a creative risk instead of trying to appeal to every audience at once.

"It's true, you don't really know. This may not work. It's all a f****** risk. You gotta make up your mind what you want to do and how much of a risk you're willing to take. If again, I'm driving a train, I'm taking this risk. I actually, I don't even think I have a choice. I have to take this risk. Just how much am I going to commit to it? But I would commit 100."

Bischoff also believes the project would require a completely new creative team dedicated solely to writing for younger viewers.

"I want a different writing team. I want any of the existing writers. I don't care how f****** good they are. It could be all little Steven Spielbergs. I don't care. I want its own dedicated team, and I want them to think through the eyes of the demo."

He stressed that the goal should be creating aspirational characters for children.

"How do I make it aspirational for them? Kids skew up, right? A six year old wants to be a nine year old. Everybody skews up. So what do I need to do to get a six year old excited about this, and then how do I keep the nine year old excited about this? That's what I would do."

Bischoff suggested a separate roster would make touring more affordable while allowing WWE to develop talent specifically for the concept.

"You're talking about all new characters that you could actually afford to travel. It'd be their own kind of talent level. It'd be unique. You wouldn't see them over on Raw or SmackDown. They don't play there. They play for kids."

He also recommended distributing the show on youth focused digital platforms rather than Netflix.

"Find a place, Rumble, for example, or whatever it is, or these other emerging kind of youth-centric social media platforms that really target the demo you want to target and get that show to them, because that's how that audience is watching television. They're not going to watch you on Netflix."

Bischoff admitted he originally underestimated Danhausen's appeal, saying he would have rejected the concept had it first been presented to him.

"Something like that Danhausen thing comes up, and all the brain trust, everybody that knows the wrestling business, oh, that'll never work. That'll never work. And by the way, to a degree, I was one of them. I would have never imagined this. And if I was one of those people in the room whose career was dependent upon making right decisions, I would have said, no, don't do that, and I would have been wrong."

He finished by saying the story behind Danhausen's popularity is compelling enough to become a film.

"It's a phenomenal story. It's a movie. Danhausen effect. There's the title of the movie. I'm giving you everything. Get to work. It writes itself."