WWE’s new Executive Director of SmackDown, Eric Bischoff, recently reminisced on his time working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
He spoke about his role there, where he was in charge of TNA’s creative team, on an episode of After 83 Weeks.
“It morphed,” acknowledged Bischoff. “When I was first hired by TNA, the Carters, in particular, didn’t want me. They didn’t want Eric Bischoff on the payroll, they didn’t want anything to do with me.”
“They wanted Hulk Hogan,” he said. “The challenge they had is Hulk Hogan knew there was nobody in TNA to find their ass with both hands and a compass when it came to creative. So he wasn’t willing to join TNA unless he had someone there that was watching over, at least, his creative.”
Bischoff explained that, once Hogan was hired by TNA, he had a lot of added responsibility to his role.
“All of a sudden, I went from, ‘Okay, I will oversee Hulk Hogan’s creative,’ to holy s**t, everything that is going on [in TNA] is Hulk Hogan related, and I became more involved in creative than I thought I would. Then I started liking it and throwing myself more into it.”
Despite the problems TNA experienced during his tenure there, Bischoff confessed that he still enjoyed his time there—particularly around 2013 when he was running creative with Bruce Prichard.
SmackDown is expected to experience numerous creative changes soon, insofar as the overall product and character development. These changes will be helmed by Eric Bischoff, with Paul Heyman doing the same on RAW. Both will still need Vince McMahon’s approval for any creative choices.
Eric Bischoff has relocated to Stamford, Connecticut for his new role as the Executive Director of Smackdown. Bischoff might not be involved with the creative direction of the brand, however, and his role might be geared more toward working with executives from Fox in the fall. He is reported to have started yesterday and did not have input into this week’s Smackdown.
Bischoff’s creative input on Smackdown moving forward was addressed recently by the Wrestling Observer.
“(Bischoff) ended up having no influence on Smackdown this past week and right now those in creative were told that he will most likely not be involved with the creative process and that it looks like his job will be to interface with all of the departments in the company as well as with FOX,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
The report would continue to say that Smackdown is currently without a creative leader.
Smackdown was also said to have been a mess this week with there being uncertainty over Daniel Bryan’s role on the show. Bryan had been scheduled to be apart of the #1 Contender battle royal on RAW this week but was pulled last minute. It was then advertised that Bryan would make a career-altering announcement on the show, though that never came.
Eric Bischoff was reportedly meant to start his first day as SmackDown’s Executive Director this past Tuesday. It was later revealed later that he was not present for that show.
On the latest edition of After 83 Weeks with Christy Olsen, the former WCW President discussed the preparation he has undertaken for his new role. It’s worth noting that the episode was recorded on Tuesday night.
“I’m actually watching SmackDown as we speak. I’m boning up; I’m doing my research and getting familiar,” Bischoff said.
“I’m kinda getting oriented [on Wednesday] and starting the process and getting familiar,” he continued, before adding, “I’m kicking it off on Monday and Tuesday next week.”
RAW Reunion
Before he comes to SmackDown, Bischoff will be taking part in next week’s special Monday Night RAW.
RAW Reunion will be bringing several former WWE Superstars, legends, and Hall of Famers for the episode. Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will be in attendance.
Bischoff, who fired Austin from WCW in 1995, shared that he’s looking forward to catching up with The Rattlesnake.
Despite the firing in ’95, Bischoff claims that the two have crossed paths and are on good terms. That being said, he admits they haven’t spoken in about 3 or 4 years, and so he highlights looking forward to seeing “Stone Cold” once again.
Dave Meltzer noted in the Daily Update that Eric Bischoff was not backstage at Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live as originally believed.
It was just reported last week that Bischoff would begin his new role with the company after Sunday’s Extreme Rules PPV event, which he didn’t attend either as Bischoff moved his family across the country to Connecticut this past week to be closer to WWE HQ.
Meltzer wrote, “Eric Bischoff is not in Worcester tonight. Bischoff has had zero impact on tonight’s show, was not involved in any creative meetings putting it together.”
He will serve as the Executive Director of WWE SmackDown and will be working directly with FOX executives when SmackDown Live goes on FOX when the show moves in October.
Miz & Mrs. New Episodes Set
New episodes of “Miz and Mrs” will air on the USA Network starting next Tuesday night after SmackDown Live on July 23rd.
This is a reality show about the relationship between The Miz and Maryse. It featured the married pair, known for being larger than life both in and out of the ring as the Superstars, become parents for the first time and much more.
Hey #MizAndMrs fans, listen up! We have an extra special surprise. We couldn't wait any longer…
Eric Bischoff further commented on his new role with WWE while making an appearance on After 83 Weeks with Christy Olson.
This is where he spoke about a wide range of topics including if he’s seeking career redemption with the new WWE position. He will serve as the Executive Director of WWE SmackDown and will be working directly with FOX executives when SmackDown Live goes on FOX when the show moves in October.
“What can I do to meet and exceed everybody’s expectations? That’s really the way I look at it. I’m really not looking at it within the context of anything else that’s ever happened before.”
Bischoff noted that he told his family about his return to WWE and no one else as he doesn’t talk to anyone else in the pro wrestling industry.
The Extreme Rules pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, July 14th, 2019 in Philadelphia, PA at the Wells Fargo Center on the WWE Network. Bischoff also noted that he wouldn’t be backstage at this event.
“No, I’ll be driving on Sunday. It’s going to take me five days, it’s like 2000 miles and I’ve got a couple stops I want to make a longer wait. So I’ll probably be stuck on the Ohio Turnpike on Sunday.”
WCW introduced Goldberg on their programming only a year into Stone Cold Steve Austin’s rise to mainstream popularity and due to their similar looks and attires, a lot of people wondered if the former WCW star was their response to The Texas Rattlesnake.
During the recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, the WCW
President at the time, Eric Bischoff talked about a number of things and also
revealed whether the similarities between these two stars were intentional.
Bischoff said that he can understand why fans and Bruce Prichard, who has previously said that Goldberg was an intentional rip off of Stone Cold, feel that way. According to him, some of this comparison is very obvious.
However, continuing on the topic, Eric claimed that the former World Champion looked the way he did the first day these two met and that was before Goldberg joined WCW in 1996. He made his debut for the promotion a year later.
Later he explained that Bill might have had Steve Austin fetish but every image he has seen of Goldberg even when he was playing in the NFL before wrestling, he looked the same way. Eric said that a lot of it is inherent and coincidental.
Elsewhere during the podcast, Eric also admitted that Goldberg’s attire was similar to Steve Austin but he claimed that nobody set around in a room and discussed how to make him look like the WWE Megastar.
You can check out the complete episode of his podcast here.
Eric Bischoff has not yet taken the reigns of Smackdown. Bischoff was announced as the new Executive Director of the show two weeks ago but the 64-year-old has not yet started in the position. According to a report from Wrestling Observer Live, Bischoff won’t begin in his new role until after the Extreme Rules PPV on Sunday.
“Eric Bischoff won’t be starting until next Tuesday,” host Bryan Alvarez said. “Because there is a PPV, they are going to finish the Smackdown storylines for the PPV and then Eric will get his opportunity to give some ideas.”
Bischoff is said to be in the process of moving to Stanford, Connecticut for his new job with WWE.
Equally humbled, honored, and more excited than I can possibly articulate here. Thank you so much for the overwhelming support. It’s been an amazing journey and the best is yet to come. @WWE#SDLive
“I think people are really excited. I wanna let everybody know, the magnitude of this opportunity, the challenge and commitment that goes along with it, is not lost on me,” Bischoff said on his podcast recently about his new role.
“This is a very sophisticated company. In WWE, there is a great team already in place. They are moving their SmackDown show to FOX network which is obviously gonna have a lot of eyeballs on it in every way.”
With Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff once again returning to notable creative positions within WWE, the pro wrestling landscape seems to be on a precipice of change as WWE continues to gear up against All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
WWE Hall Of Famer, Booker T, spoke about these changes on his podcast, The Hall Of Fame.
He claims that with Heyman and Bischoff respectively directing RAW and SmackDown, they will be going back to the “blueprint of what wrestling always was” which is “giving the fans some great wrestling, great entertainment.”
“[…] Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff, they both have an agenda now, and that agenda is to do well,” he said. “I was reading today that Eric Bischoff is moving his family to Connecticut. To do that, that’s a huge, huge commitment. That means I want to get close to my work, and I really want to throw myself into it and try to create something.”
“Time Is Running Out”
Booker believes that Bischoff is fully aware of the magnitude of this opportunity, claiming that he is “never going to get another chance like this ever.”
“One thing Eric Bischoff knows: time is running out. He’s never going to get another chance like this ever in a lifetime. I mean, he slipped on a banana peel and became the President of WCW, and then to get this dropped in his hand? […] Paul Heyman, he made ECW a legitimate company by doing the right things and then taking that company in the right direction. They gave the fans what they wanted to see, they had it all. The war could be over before it even starts.”
With WWE doing all it can to hold onto talent as it redefines itself in the face of new competition, it appears that having RAW and SmackDown become creatively different is the first step in their attempts—a decision that Vince McMahon is already reportedly very pleased with.
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently made an appearance on Busted Open Radio where he talked about Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff becoming Executive Directors for WWE and challenges that they face.
Heyman will be in charge of Monday Night RAW while Bischoff will oversee SmackDown Live and work closely with FOX when the show moves this October.
Angle, who works as a producer in WWE, sees the challenges that await these two men in their new roles.
“The ratings have been pretty stagnant,” Angle stated. “It just sounds like they want to give something a try and I do not blame them. The WWE right now, they are a publicly traded company that makes more money now, than they ever did before, that includes the Attitude Era.”
Angle brought up all of the sources of revenue for the company such as TV deals, WWE Network, merchandise, and endorsements. However, WWE is still trying to find a balance by giving their fans what they want and complying with a PG television rating.
“They have shareholders, they want to make sure it’s a family program and geared towards kids. The writing gets to be a little more difficult when you’re trying to write PG all the time.”
Eric Bischoff further commented on his new role with WWE on the latest episode of his podcast.
The big news last week was that he would serve as the Executive Director of WWE SmackDown and will be working directly with FOX executives when SmackDown Live goes on FOX when the show moves in October.
Bischoff started out by thanking everyone and noting that he’s overwhelmed with the support following the news. “I think people are really excited. I wanna let everybody know, the magnitude of this opportunity, the challenge and commitment that goes along with it, is not lost on me.”
Bischoff brought up how this is the biggest opportunity he’s had aside from being named WCW President. He talked about how while in WCW, he was learning on the job there and had nothing to lose due to the challenges that faced him at the time. But with his new role in WWE, it’s a different situation.
“This is a very sophisticated company. In WWE, there is a great team already in place. They are moving their SmackDown show to FOX network which is obviously gonna have a lot of eyeballs on it in every way.”
Other news and notes include Bischoff noting that he and his wife are moving to Connecticut next week to get a fresh start with WWE. Also, he will be ending his live shows with co-host Conrad Thompson. However, his podcast will continue.
Eric Bischoff, whose recent hiring by WWE has shaken the wrestling world, has clarified that his 83 Weeks With Eric Bischoff podcast will continue despite his new WWE role.
Bischoff is set to be in charge of SmackDown Live and was hired along with Paul Heyman who is brought to be in charge of Raw.
The podcast made its debut on 30 April, 2018 and has been running for 61 episodes as of this writing. The name “83 Weeks” comes from the fact that Bischoff, when he was President of WCW, beat WWF’s Monday Night Raw with his Monday Nitro show for 83 weeks straight during the Monday Night Wars.
Eric Bischoff took to social media to give his first comments on his new WWE role.
Earlier this week it was first reported and later announced via a press release that he would serve as the Executive Director of WWE SmackDown. He’ll be working directly with FOX executives when SmackDown Live goes on FOX when the show moves to Friday nights in October.
Bischoff went on his official Twitter account to comment about his new position with WWE. He wrote the following:
Equally humbled, honored, and more excited than I can possibly articulate here. Thank you so much for the overwhelming support. It’s been an amazing journey and the best is yet to come. @WWE#SDLive
Despite the fact that WWE sent out an email this week hyping that fans will see what Bischoff will ‘have in store’ for SmackDown Live this Tuesday, it was a mistake on WWE’s part as there was miscommunication due to WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon not signing off on the announcement.
The move to have the former WCW President in charge of SmackDown while Paul Heyman will serve as the Executive Director of WWE RAW is due to the decline of popularity that has impacted the company with television ratings and attendance.
It will be interesting to see the types of changes that both men bring to their brands going forward.
WWE announced this week that Paul Heyman will be the new Executive Director of RAW and Eric Bischoff will fill the same role for Smackdown. Triple H, who heads up WWE’s NXT brands, recently commented on what the two men have contributed to the wrestling industry throughout their careers.
He sent the following out on Twitter in response to the news:
Triple H briefly worked for Bischoff in WCW. Then wrestling as Terra Rizin, Triple H left the company in 1995 to go to WWE. Bischoff spoke about their brief working relationship recently during an episode of his 83 Weeks podcast.
“When Hunter came in it was at a time in WCW when we were really cutting costs. Expenses were a really big issue. I think it was Terry Taylor who first introduced Hunter to us. My biggest concern with him was that he lived in the Northeast. At that point, things were so tight financially that we were looking to concentrate on the talent that lived in Atlanta, Georgia because we couldn’t afford to fly people all over the country, so that was one big issue.”
Earlier this week, WWE shocked the wrestling world by announcing Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff have been named as the Executive Directors of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown live, respectively.
A WWE statement reads, “In their executive roles, Heyman and Bischoff will oversee the creative development of WWE’s flagship programming and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business.”
There were conflicting media reports about whether Heyman and Bischoff would begin their new functions immediately or imminently, but WWE is now featuring Heyman and Bischoff in ads for next week’s shows.
In an effort to sell tickets for Monday’s Raw from Dallas and Tuesday’s SmackDown from San Antonio, WWE is hyping that fans will see what Heyman and Bischoff ‘have in store’ for their respective brands.
As of this writing, it is unclear whether Heyman and Bischoff will serve as on-screen authority figures. However, it’s certainly interesting to see the company already using the star power and intrigue factor of the former ECW and WCW head honchos to spike ticket sales.
In a giant shakeup to the WWE front office, Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff have both been named as Executive Directors of WWE TV. As first reported by SI.com, Paul Heyman will be put in charge of WWE RAW and Bischoff will play the same role for WWE Smackdown.
Both Heyman and Bischoff will report directly to Vince McMahon. Bischoff will also work with FOX executives when Smackdown moves to the network this October.
Breaking: WWE names Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff as Executive Directors.
Heyman is set to become Executive Director of Raw, while Bischoff will fill the same role for SmackDown Live. Both will report directly to WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. https://t.co/SIjW3G8v8T
“In their executive roles, Heyman and Bischoff will oversee the creative development of WWE’s flagship programming and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business,” a WWE press release reads. “The creation of these roles further establishes WWE’s ability to continuously reinvent its global brand while providing two distinct creative processes for its flagship shows.”
Paul Heyman (53) ran ECW from 1993 until its closing in 2001. He started with WWE shortly after. Heyman left the company in 2006 after the disastrous December to Dismember PPV for the re-launched ECW brand. He returned to the company in 2012 as Brock Lesnar’s advocate.
64-year-old Eric Bischoff last worked full-time in the wrestling business in 2012 with TNA. He has made scattered appearances with WWE since then, including taking part in a documentary on his career which aired on the WWE Network. Bischoff was named Executive Vice President of WCW in 1994 and was eventually named President of the company in 1997.
In recently released details regarding Heyman and Bischoff’s hiring, PW Insider is reporting WWE has been looking for Heyman to take on this role since February. Bischoff’s deal with WWE is said to have been put together in the last few weeks.
WWE has also made several other recent changes to their creative team. Jeff Jarrett was reported to have joined in March, Bruce Pritchard joined the team in February. Additionally, Dana Warrior is said to be a key creative figure as it concerns WWE’s women’s divisions.
Stay with SEScoops for continued coverage of this breaking news…
While in town for Starrcast 2 weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, former WCW Executive Vice President Eric Bischoff spoke with Inside The Ropes about All Elite Wrestling (AEW) securing a cable television deal with TNT to compete against WWE, and some of the similarities to his past rivalry against the sports entertainment conglomerate during the infamous “Monday Night Wars.”
During the discussion, Bischoff discussed AEW coming along at a time when the pro wrestling audience is craving an alternative product to WWE now more than ever.
“The audience now has finally gotten to the point where they really are craving something different,” said Bischoff. “It doesn’t have to be better, it just has to be different.”
Eric Bischoff Explains Why Now Is Perfect Time For AEW
Bischoff would go on to elaborate, explaining why he feels now is the perfect time for AEW to establish themselves as a legitimate alternative product to the longtime industry leader, WWE.
“I think what AEW has the opportunity to do now is to present the product in a different and unique way that’s unique enough so that wrestling fans can feel like they honestly have a legitimate alternative, but not so unique that it doesn’t look like wrestling anymore,” Bischoff explained. “That’s a very good position to be in and I envy them for being in the position that they’ve put themselves into [because] they’ve worked hard for this.”
AEW Should Ignore The Past, Establish Their Own Identity
From there, the interviewer brought up some of the subtle nods to the past wrestling war between WWE and WCW, such as AEW having flames in their official TNT graphic, similar to the official logo that WCW Monday Nitro had when they were on TNT competing against WWE on Monday nights. He then asked if AEW should make a point to tip their cap to the past “War,” noting that they could have Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Jushin Thunder Liger as the opening match on their debut episode on TNT, the same way Nitro had Brian Pillman vs. Jushin Thunder Liger as the opener on their inaugural Nitro broadcast back on September 4, 1995.
“I would stay away from it in the beginning,” said Bischoff. “Because you don’t want to hang your hat on, or brand yourself too closely with, something like Nitro.”
Bischoff continued, “Nitro came along at a point in time that was very unique. We went directly head-to-head with WWE. AEW is not going to do that. So rather than relying too much on that association, I would establish my own brand first and after I get a little bit of momentum on my own, then I would probably do a wink and a nod over to Nitro, or to some of the previous relationships, but I wouldn’t depend on it and I wouldn’t come out of the shoot doing it.
“Because if it was me, the last thing I want people to do is to compare me to Monday Nitro during the Monday Night Wars, because that situation will never happen again. The world has changed in too many different ways for that opportunity to be there again. So rather than comparing my brand to WCW or to Nitro, I would want to stand on my own.”
AEW: Double Or Nothing Results Coverage At SEScoops.com
AEW will stand on their own later this evening when they present their Double Or Nothing event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show will air live via pay-per-view, and will be available via the Bleacher Report (B/R) Live online streaming service for $49.99. For the complete card, as well as detailed insight and analysis on each match on the card from veteran pro wrestling journalists, check out our AEW Double Or Nothing Predictions roundtable feature.
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com tonight for AEW Double Or Nothing 2019 results coverage.
You can add Eric Bischoff to the list of people who think WWE should make history this year by having women headline WrestleMania 35.
WWE has already confirmed that WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey will make her next title defense against former WWE SmackDown Women’s Champions Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch in a triple threat match.
Since then, many have speculated as to whether this match is so big that it could headline the biggest show of the year for WWE. During an appearance on After 83 Weeks, Bischoff was asked about it and started out by praising Lynch and Rousey for their program. He’s such a fan of the women that he thinks the three women should main event WrestleMania 35
“I do. Everybody knows that has ever worked with me, I like a simple formula. A good woman and a bad woman. I like antagonists and protagonists. I like clear definitions and a story that is compelling with stakes involved.”
Bishoff noted that once making a triple threat, it makes it harder as visually the match is more interesting from an in-ring standpoint, but the story isn’t as good and the stakes aren’t the same.
“I would prefer to see it main event with Ronda and Becky, but if you’re going to have a triple threat then there is nobody better than Charlotte to be in there.”
Eric Bischoff was credited in WWE storylines as the creator of the elimination chamber match. Of course, the concept was not a Bischoff creation in real life.
Now, years later, Bischoff is pulling the curtain back and giving his unfiltered thoughts on the elimination chamber concept on the 83 Weeks podcast.
“I wasn’t impressed with it,” Bischoff said. “My first thought was as a producer. This is going to be really hard to shoot. It was a big, heavy, dark cage. When I first laid eyes on it, I thought, wow, that’s going to be tough to make look good on TV.”
Bischoff is quick to point out, though, that in spite of his initial response, he had faith that WWE executive producer and director Kevin Dunn was up to the challenge.
“I wasn’t second-guessing anybody. I knew if anybody could do it, Kevin Dunn could figure out a way to do it,” said Bischoff.
Bischoff went on to explain that his initial aversion to the chamber concept was likely linked to his own time in WCW, and having seen too much in the way of gimmick matches.
“By that time, I had been through enough gimmick matches of my own that I hated,” Bischoff said. “It didn’t resonate with me as well as it resonated with the audience.”
You can hear more of Bischoff’s thoughts on the elimination chamber, as well as his entire first year in WWE, here.
As the former President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Bischoff is uniquely qualified to provide insight on the situation. Bischoff dealt directly with countless major league stars and more than one of them let him know, “I’m out of here” due to frustration with their creative direction.
Dean Ambrose is a huge star that WWE spent years investing in departure, but Bischoff does not see it as a big loss for them.
“No disrespect at all to Dean Ambrose … I don’t think it matters at all,” he said. “That’s not because of Dean’s abilities or lack thereof. But in WWE right now WWE is the star. Everybody else on that roster is a costar, to one degree or another. Stars are now interchangeable.”
Bischoff said it doesn’t matter how big the star is. If somebody leaves, the WWE machine will keep moving forward .. and that’s by design.
The roster is deep enough, and the pool of talent is deep enough that whether it’s a situation like Roman Reigns, as devastating as that was, WWE shifted on the fly. They didn’t even have to hit the clutch. They just kept going, right? I think that that’s intentional.”
Talent Comes, Talent Goes
Bischoff believes that Vince McMahon has made a conscious effort to make talent secondary and make the WWE brand the real attraction. Talent comes and goes. People get injured, people retire, people jump to the competition. Vince McMahon has learned this lesson many times before. At the end of the day, the wrestlers are interchangeable and it’s WWE that endures.
“If you’ve invested all of your resources, not just financial but all of your television time and all that real estate into building up a character, and through some scenario that you couldn’t anticipate that character is no longer there, you’re in a rebuild situation,” he said. “That can be devastating. WWE has gone through that before. They learned that lesson. Vince McMahon learned what happened when competition comes along and takes your talent, and I think he endeavored to build a company that was for the most part impervious to that. He did it by making WWE the star, and the talent less significant than the show that they’re on.”
Listen to the latest episode of After 83 Weeks here:
On the latest episode of the “After 83 Weeks” podcast (companion to the 83 Weeks), Eric Bischoff told host Christy Olson that he’s sure Vince McMahon is taking steps to prevent WWE talent from jumping to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Bischoff also called the WWE Universal Championship “meaningless” and explained why he won’t publicly debate Vince Russo
WWE Universal Championship: “Who cares?”
Brock Lesnar will defend the Universal Championship against Finn Balor this Sunday at the Royal Rumble. Bischoff says Lesnar is a total badass and fans are interested in seeing how can defeat him once and for all. However, he doesn’t feel the Universal Championship being on the line adds anything to this match.
“I don’t think it matters if Brock Lesnar held the Universal title or not, and I don’t think anybody cares about the Universal title,” said Bischoff. “It’s meaningless. Who cares? I think people care about Brock. I think he is such a badass, and such a larger than life character, and so unbeatable that the world is waiting to see who and if anybody will come along and knock him from his throne. But I don’t think there would be any more or any less interest in any of those matchups if the belt was not a part of it.”
There are Superstars on the WWE roster who are interested in working elsewhere. After signing with All Elite Wrestling, Chris Jericho revealed AEW offered him the biggest contract of his long career. Eric Bischoff says Vince McMahon is well aware talent might be curious about their value on the open market – and revealed what he would do if he was currently in Vince’s position.
“It’s a talent driven business, and the Khan family is willing to write a big check for Chris Jericho and they’re willing to write big checks for other talent who may be in WWE but not happy. If I was Vince McMahon right now I would probably tie them up in as many strings as I possibly could. In fact I’m sure he already has. I don’t think there’s a lot of talent in WWE that can just wake up on Monday morning and go, ‘You know what? I’m gonna quit and I’m gonna go work for these guys.’”
Why He Won’t Debate Vince Russo:
Finally, Bischoff said once again that he has no interest in debating, or having anything to do with former WWE, WCW and Impact writer Vince Russo.
“I have zero respect for him. I think he’s a fraud. I think he’s just a creep. I just don’t like him. He’s lied to me and showed me his colors so many different times. I get people all the time saying, oh you should debate him. F*** I’ve debated him in front of Dixie Carter, TNA’s attorney. I made him cry like a little child. Because I revealed him for what he really is. And I’ve done it in front of a whole bunch of people by the way. So I have no desire to give him an audience and try to let him get himself over with his nonsense by debating him.”
Check out the latest episode of After 83 Weeks with Christy Olson, Eric Bischoff and more:
On the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, former WCW President Eric Bischoff reveals the original storyline plans for the nWo and The Outsiders’ invasion of WCW.
Led by Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and later “Hollywood” Hogan, the nWo revolutionized the industry. At a time when WCW and Raw were battling each week for ratings supremacy, Hall and Nash were the jet fuel WCW needed to bring WWE to its knees. The nWo was the hottest thing in wrestling. The angle eventually evolved into a hostile takeover of WCW, but Bischoff reveals there was another storyline discussed that would have explained Hall and Nash’s reason for showing up on Nitro.
“The premise of nWo, the very premise of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash coming over, was to get revenge because they weren’t treated fairly when they were previously in WCW,” Bischoff says.
“Now that they became big stars, they’re coming back to exact their revenge on WCW and the people that didn’t treat them with the respect they deserve.”
Scott Hall and Kevin Nash both worked for WCW in the early 90’s as mid-card acts. Hall worked as the Diamond Studd, while Nash portrayed multiple characters, including Oz and Vinnie Vegas. They’d later attain greater fame and success in the World Wrestling Federation as Razor Ramon and Diesel.
When the Outsiders arrived in WCW, WWE sued them sued WCW in 1996 for defamation, slander, unfair competition, and trademark infringement, all in relation to the angle. The basis of WWE’s lawsuit was that Hall and Nash were portrayed on WCW television as still working for the company, and the appearance was given that WWF was working with WCW on the angle.
23 years later, Eric Bischoff reveals that was not the intention. Rather, Bischoff says that his original idea of disgruntled employees morphed into a brand split concept.
“We didn’t know that it would be as successful as it became,” Bischoff says.
“Once that became obvious in 1996, the ideas had already been ricocheting around in my head that we were eventually going to split the brands.”
You can hear Bischoff’s full comments in context on 83 Weeks embedded below or at Omny.fm.
It’s no secret now that the Young Bucks are involved with the new All Elite Wrestling Promotion and with the new year approaching fast, the official announcement for it should be coming soon as well.
With all the signs pointing towards the rise of this promotion, various people related to wrestling world have been giving their opinion on this move, and now Eric Bischoff has joined this list as well.
Bischoff who himself is quite familiar with running a wrestling promotion talked about AEW during the latest episode of his After 83 Weeks podcast.
Eric first discussed the success of All In event which will probably be remembered as the show which started all this and said that what’s really cool about it is that they did it without television.
He then explained how as someone who has grown up in the wrestling industry and someone who couldn’t imagine being involved in the wrestling industry without a solid TV platform underneath you, the success of the show was mind-boggling.
When asked if he has any advice for the Young Bucks over the new promotion, Eric Bischoff said that they are in a zone right now and this zone doesn’t come easily.
Revealing his advice for the duo, the former WCW Official said that they should be smart, go slow and shouldn’t let it get to their head. Finally, he said that the brothers should always surround themselves with people they absolutely trust
Apart from this, Bischoff also hoped that he would get an invitation to watch shows of AEW and more. You can check out the full episode of his podcast here.
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff just threw out a comparison that has been making the rounds as of late. Now-former SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Becky Lynch has been getting comparisons to Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin. Lynch has become, arguably, WWE’s biggest star in recent months. After turning heel on Charlotte Flair, the WWE Universe really began to get behind “The Irish Lass Kicker.”
She went on to capture the SDL Women’s Title at the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view (PPV) from Flair. However, she recently lost it to Asuka in a Triple Threat Tables Ladders and Chairs (TLC) match. That’s thanks in part to some interference from RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey. With that being said, Lynch is undoubtedly one of WWE’s hottest starsat the moment.
Its been quite some time since fans have gotten behind a Superstar the way they have for her. During a recent edition of the “After 83 Weeks” podcast, Bischoff explained his comparison between Lynch and Austin:
“I’m more of a Becky Lynch fan right now than I have been a fan of anybody in the last fifteen years. It’s because about two weeks ago I began noticing her social media, tweets, the messages she was putting out…
“If she has somebody writing them for her, I want to know who that person is because they are a really smart writer. If she doesn’t have somebody [writing the tweets] for her and she’s doing it herself, she’s going to be the next Stone Cold Steve Austin for WWE because she is a believable character.
“Forget about what I’ve seen on television. I’m not discarding it, but setting it aside. Her ability to capture my imagination on social media was profound. I mean, I went, whoa! She’s got it! She’s becoming so believable and unique and you can’t teach that.“
What do you think of Bischoff’s comparison between Lynch and Austin?
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff recently took to his podcast, “83 Weeks,” and offered his thoughts on the current state of WWE NXT. NXT has grown in popularity over the years. Initially created as simply a developmental brand for the Superstars of tomorrow, NXT has practically risen to become a third brand.
NXT has produced stars such as Set Rollins, Kevin Owens, Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, and so many more. Currently, NXT only airs for one hour a week on the WWE Network. With how much popularity it has gained WWE would do well to make the show longer. Bischoff is certainly a supporter of the idea:
“I think if they’ve got a deep enough roster, and if there’s enough people there that need that exposure and two hours can accommodate that, then bam! Do it! Why would you even wait?
“But if the roster’s thin and you find yourself really tapping into that same roster of talent on a weekly basis, you may run the risk of overexposing at least some of them.”
NXT is arguably the most entertaining brand WWE has to offer at the moment. Professional wrestling fans would certainly enjoy the idea of an extra hour of NXT a week.
What do you think about Bischoff’s comments regarding NXT expanding to two hours?
TED is a nonprofit that holds and organizes events that feature lectures from notable thought leaders, and accomplished professionals in a wide variety of industries and walks of life. A statement on TED’s website states that “Our agenda is to make great ideas accessible and spark conversation.”
Bischoff’s spoke about his TED Talk on this week’s episode of his 83 Weeks podcast.
“I had a great TED Talk… It was a really fun experience,” Bischoff said. “I talked about politics and wrestling, and how much politics and current media is becoming more and more like professional wrestling,” Bischoff said.
Bischoff, an ardent political conservative, did not inject his personal views into his talk. “I didn’t take sides. It was a very bipartisan approach to the topic, so no one would be able to tell which side of the equation I fall on,” he said.
“I am going to post this TED Talk up on Patreon at some point,” Bichoff added. The 83 Weeks Patreon page can be found here.
Listen to this week’s episode of 83 Weeks covering Eric Bischoff’s 2002 WWE Debut:
