Former WCW President and Executive Director of SmackDown Eric Bischoff recently discussed his former colleague Paul Heyman’s near signing with TNA back in 2009 into 2010.
Bischoff commented on Heyman nearly taking ‘control’ on the company on his 83 Weeks podcast, saying that there was ‘no way’ it would’ve happened.
Eric Bischoff on Paul Heyman
“I think it’s a fantasy” Bischoff began on the podcast, describing how Heyman reportedly wanted to have a Dana White style role within TNA. This would’ve meant that Heyman had a majority holding in the company and that could essentially do ‘what he wanted;’ somewhat like the owner of UFC, the aforementioned Dana White. “I do believe, based on what Dave (Meltzer) wrote in that excerpt that you (co-host Conrad Thompson) just read? That Dave was probably talking directly to Paul Heyman.”
Bischoff elaborated further, saying “much of that position sounds very much like Paul Hayman’s voice. So I think that was probably a direct quote or close to it from Heyman to Meltzer. That being said, No way in hell that was going to happen. Number one it wouldn’t have made any difference, you know?”
The Carters
Bischoff also shed some light on how much equity Paul Heyman could have received had he joined TNA. He also said you’d have to be taking hallucinogenic drugs to think the Carter family was going to hand over control of their $40 million investment to Paul Heyman.
“Paul would have had five points in a company or 10 points in a company. Unless you’re a majority shareholder in a private company? Somebody has to be the majority decision, that was never going to be Paul Heyman in any scenario.”
“There’s just not enough mushrooms that you can dry and feast on and hallucinate enough to try to imagine a scenario where the Carters were going to give Paul Heyman control over there” Bischoff continued. “And it was rumoured to be at some point a $35 or $40 million investment in TNA [from the Carters].”
He continued, “I don’t know if that number is accurate but if it’s even close? To imagine a scenario where the Carters, who didn’t know Paul Heyman, and probably didn’t know much about Paul Heyman other than what Dixie told him and what they could read on a dirt sheet site? There’s no way that they were going to give him control. They wouldn’t give Dixie control of the company for God’s sake, why would they give it to Paul Heyman!?”
Do you agree with Bischoff? Let us know in the comments
