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Eric Bischoff returned to WWE from June to October of last year. His short-lived time as the Executive Director of Smackdown was recently addressed on Bischoff’s 83 Weeks podcast. He spoke about what led to him returning to the company.
“It hit me out of left field. If others felt like it was a surprise to them you should have been sitting on my deck when I got that phone call in early June or May or whenever it was,” Bischoff said.
“Bruce (Prichard) and I started talking, and I think it happened at a Starrcast event, at an event Bruce and I were both at.”
Bischoff continued to say that Prichard asked him what he would think about his name being thrown out to Vince for a potential role. Bischoff suggested he was happy with this as he would enjoy working with Bruce again.
“We worked together very closely in TNA and we kind of learned how to work together.”
Bischoff also spoke about negotiating with Vince McMahon on a deal to return to the company. He said the first meeting the two had didn’t get into specifics too much.
Eric Bischoff On Meeting With Vince
Bischoff says his meetings with Vince went very smoothly.
“More social than business is how I would characterize it,” Bischoff said about his first meeting with Vince last year about coming back.
“Vince and I hadn’t seen each other in 12 years or whatever, I think the last time I had seen Vince was in 2007 or so,” he continued. “Big bear hug, how you doing, pal? It was all very social and positive.”
Bischoff continued to say that he knew when he was invited back for a 2nd meeting that talks of him returning had gotten more serious.
“That meeting went equally as well and we were off and running.”
Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below: