Eric Bischoff was part of some of wrestling’s biggest ever moments, but the work in the ring isn’t too important compared to the characters and storylines.
In WCW, Bischoff was one of the architects of the New World Order, ushering in the era of ‘cool heels’ and would be part of the company until their demise in 2001.
After joining the WWE the following year, Bischoff would be General Manager of Raw until 2005, and was the person who introduced the Elimination Chamber.
Not a Fan
Bischoff may have spent over three decades in the wrestling industry, but he considers the industry entertainment first, sports second.
Speaking on his 83 Weeks Podcast, Bischoff admitted that to him, the storylines and the production of shows are far more important and interesting to him than the in-ring action.
“I’m going to get burned. I’m going to get crucified for what I’m about to say. But guess what? I don’t care. I’m just not that big of a fan of wrestling matches. I’m a big fan of the story and the way the show is architected. Built. Formatted. Created. I’m a big fan of new ideas. Sometimes they work sometimes they don’t.”
“I’m just not that big of a fan of wrestling matches. I’m a big fan of the story.”
Eric Bischoff.
The question of which is more important has long been debated, with WWE using the term ‘Sports Entertainment’ instead of pro-wrestling.
Watching the Competition
Before joining WWE in 2002, Bischoff spent years trying to put Vince McMahon out of business during the Monday Night Wars.
Bischoff would ultimately fail in that endeavor, and explained that he watched little to none of the competition at the time.
“No [I didn’t watch WWF content.] I was aware. If I heard of something that was coming up that was significant, that people were excited about or interested in and I got word of that, I’d check it out. But I didn’t study it. I didn’t keep track of it. I didn’t really think about it all that much.
“To the extent that there were things about the WWF that were really noticeable I watched WWF at that time, and when I would drop in, more often than not, I was dropping in to see how they produced their show. I wasn’t tuning in to watch a wrestling match.”
Human Nature
WCW may be finished, but many of the ideas of the brand live on.
In 2002, the WWF tried their hand at their own New World Order, which was done mere months later.
Speaking about the wrestling industry repeating ideas, Bischoff isn’t too shocked at the notion.
“I think it’s human nature. Of course, it’s human nature. Especially when you’re in the entertainment business. You’re going to lean on past successes and past experiences. Good and bad.”
Even in WCW, several repeats of the NWO, including NWO Wolfpac, NWO 2000, and the LWO were made.