The nWo faction created by former WCW president Eric Bischoff is one of the most well-known groups of not only the Attitude Era but the history of professional wrestling.
Its WWE counterpart was the D-Generation X group which became a household name during the peak of the Monday Night Wars era as well and the former WCW official claims that it was a rip off of his original idea.
Bischoff discussed the two groups during the latest episode of 83 weeks and claimed that DX was a copy of nWo: “It should be pretty obvious that it was,”
The former SmackDown Executive Director continued by making another interesting claim and he said that Shawn Michaels overplayed his part in the group while Triple seemed a lot more natural at it:
“It was entertaining as hell; they knocked it out of the park. I wasn’t a big fan of Shawn Michaels’ character in DX, he overplayed it, he tried too hard to be cute. Triple H to me seemed a lot more natural at it. He didn’t have to force it quite as hard, I think he was having a lot of fun with it. “
Eric Bischoff later said that he thinks that former Cruiserweight Champion Sean Waltman got the faction over more than Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
He explained his remarks by saying that Waltman brought a more edgy character and him leaving WCW to return to WWE and join the group made it feel more like the Monday Night War era.
Eric Bischoff commented on the trend of ‘cinematic matches’ during a recent interview with Sportskeeda. The former WCW President thinks it’s possible to present them correctly, but he does not see them as “the future of the business.”
AEW star Matt Hardy is credited with being a pioneer of cinematic matches, stemming from his time with Impact Wrestling. Hardy’s “Broken Universe” produced several memorable short films, including the Final Deletion.
Other companies have utilized cinematic matches. WWE filmed mini-movies from the Wyatt Family Compound. The main event of last year’s WrestleMania saw The Undertaker defeat AJ Styles in the well-received Boneyard Match.
The most recent example of a cinematic match came this past weekend at Impact Wrestling: Hard to Kill when Ethan Page battled his alter ego, Karate Man.
Bischoff on Cinematic Matches
Eric Bischoff explains that cinematic can be a valuable part of a wrestling show. However, it’s important that companies use them sparingly, as special attractions.
“I don’t think it’s the future of the business,” said Bischoff. “I think it’s a valuable component, a special attraction. I think if it’s done too much, it will lose some of its value to the audience when everything becomes a cinematic style match. Then it’s no longer special. I think if the cinematic matches are presented as a special event, once a year, or twice a year, or in unique story-driven situations, I think it could become a very valuable part of the presentation. But I think to rely on that exclusively as a presentation would diminish their value.”
Cinematic matches have been generally well-received and the trend does not appear to be going away. Someone like Sting, for example, is somewhat limited with what he can do in the ring. However, he’d be the perfect candidate to utilize cinematic matches.
Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo worked together twice in the wrestling business. The first time was at the tail end of WCW and the second was when they were both in TNA Wrestling at the same time. Bischoff is not a fan of Vince Russo’s writing. He recently spent some time on his 83 Weeks podcast commenting on the “immature” nature of some of the angles and gimmicks Russo came up with while in WCW.
Conrad Thompson and Bischoff were talking about the “Misfits in Action” stable from WCW’s dying days when he had the following to say:
“It’s embarrassing. I mean, Hugh G Rection? Major Gunns? Come on! Are you 14 years old, for crying out loud?” Bischoff said about Russo’s creations.
Bischoff then spoke about a conversation he had with Brad Siegel about Russo.
“One of the comments that always has stuck with me that Brad said is ‘Look, Vince is just too dark. His approach to television everything is just nasty and dark.’ And I wasn’t really sure what he meant, because I hadn’t been watching.”
“Everything had a layer of dirt or scum on it,” Bischoff continued. “No story was clean and crisp and easy to follow and triggered emotions as a result of it. Everything had this dark, kind of, I don’t know, sewage scum kind of vibe to it.”
“All of his stuff had that same kind of juvenile just junky feel to it,” Bischoff concluded.
Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the YouTube clip below:
On the first edition of WWE Smackdown to air on Fox in 2019, Brock Lesnar defeated Kofi Kingston to win the WWE Championship in just 7 seconds. Many fans were disappointed with how Kofi’s title reign came to an end. Eric Bischoff was the Executive Director of Smackdown when the title change took place. He spent some time recently on the 83 Weeks Podcast talking about Lesnar’s quick victory over the former champion.
“Brock is Brock as a character, Brock’s character is Brock’s character. He eats people, he eats big people, he eats tough people,” Bischoff said on the show.
Bischoff continued to talk about the the size-difference between Brock and Kofi and how that played into what happened in their match.
“Kofi is my size, granted he’s in shape. But Kofi is maybe 200lbs, 210lbs, 220lbs-guy, whatever it is. Is there a story that would be remotely believable that would allow Kofi in this match to be in there and mix it up with a guy like Brock, in a believable way, that would have allowed him to maybe hold onto that underdog status?”
“What could Kofi have done in the body of that match that would have been believable and allow Kofi’s fans to hold onto some hope that he might find a way to overcome Brock Lesnar? I challenge people to think of it.”
Eric Bischoff on Brock Lesnar vs Kofi Kingston
Bischoff believes that WWE made the inevitable problem of ending a popular champion’s title reign worse by having it end in such a short match.
“People were hot that Brock ate Kofi in the manner in which he ate him and spit him out. They were hot, and I understand that. But what else could you do that would have been believable?”
“So I think it was destined to failure from the beginning to the end. It was a mistake. But I think that mistake was exacerbated by the fact that they did it so quickly.”
Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:
WCW was sold to Vince McMahon at a reduced price in 2001. The transaction ended the Monday Night Wars. Eric Bischoff had been attempting to purchase the company in the days leading up to the sale to Vince McMahon, however.
He spoke about this recently on an episode of his 83 Weeks podcast. Bischoff mentioned that he knew he had his detractors in the company in 2001 but was excited to rebuild WCW.
“It was certainly exciting, no question about that,” Bischoff said. He’d continue to talk about the detractors he had in the company at the time.
“Many of the people that were such a big part of WCW while we were growing the brand and had so much success were still there, but there were also a number of people there that I knew were not fans of me. There were people that I wasn’t necessarily that thrilled with even while I was there. I knew going back under the circumstances it was going to be real challenging.”
Bischoff also mentioned that he would have put more emphasis on the cruiserweight division in 2001 if he had taken ownership of WCW.
“I knew that the cruiserweight division was something that was going to have to come back. In a way, that it represented some of the best cruiserweight action that we saw when we brought that division to professional wrestling on a consistent basis. Not just calling someone a cruiserweight, like the X-division.”
“It was definitely one of the things that I wanted to go back to in a big way,” he continued.
He specifically mentioned Shane Helms (aka Hurricane Helms) as someone who would play a large role in the division.
“Shane Helms, for example, was one of the early ideas that we had of really reaching out to a much younger performer, somebody that brought a different style and obviously a different demo to the party.”
Eric Bischoff also recently spoke about WWE’s NWO angle in 2002 on his podcast. He feels Vince McMahon’s involvement in the angle made little sense.
Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:
After the Invasion angle flopped in 2001, WWE turned to the New World Order in an attempt to turn things around. Vignettes for the NWO featured Vince McMahon stating he was bringing the group in to “destroy his creation.” The faction would debut at No Way Out that February.
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff spoke about the WWE incarnation of the NWO on the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast. Bischoff believes the angle got off to a bad start with Vince McMahon’s involvement. “I wouldn’t have had Vince McMahon turn around and reveal himself in the chair as the evil genius that was going to bring back the nWo to destroy his own company.”
He continued, “That was such a non-starter from a creative perspective. I don’t care how big of a fan of WWE you were at the time, you couldn’t possibly buy that, it was just so nonsensical.”
Bischoff on the NWO in WWE
The NWO angle changed direction when fans cheered Hollywood Hogan at WrestleMania X-8. Scott Hall would later leave the company. Shawn Michaels and Booker T would each have short stints with the faction as well.
“If you start out a story with one foot on a banana peel and the other in a bucket of cement, where are you going? That’s how the story started, there’s no way it was going to get better from there,” Bischoff continued.
Had a great time catching up with HH at his new restaurant in Clearwater Beach “Hogans Hangout” great food and cool vibe! pic.twitter.com/mfajmd3Pnh
The NWO was set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last year. The induction ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic, however. Bischoff spoke about plans to induct the faction on a previous episode of his podcast.
“The nWo is the storyline, the angle, the moment that storyline was conceived and as it became executed, was probably one of the most important periods in professional wrestling, in this industry, in the last 30 years,” Bischoff said.
Former WCW President and WWE Executive Director of SmackDown Eric Bischoff recently hosted a Q&A episode of the 83 Weeks podcast.
Bischoff would discuss a number of topics with fans, with co-host Conrad Thompson asking Easy E if there was a talent he has seen that could “change the industry” in the same way that Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold Steve Austin did in the late 90’s.
“I don’t think that way” Eric Bischoff would reply. “I mean there’s, I just don’t process things around me that way. There’s certainly been a lot of talent that I have been impressed with both in TNA, WWE and even just as a fan watching AEW. There’s a lot of talent that I see something in. I think perhaps I see something that maybe no one else does or maybe I’m just kidding myself?”
Eric Bischoff on Modern Talent
Bischoff would then state that he doesn’t see a talent making that seismic shift in the same way. That isn’t because of talent, but because the industry/world has changed. “I firmly believe what I’m about to say. I don’t think there’s any talent on the face of the earth that can change the course of the business by themselves.”
“It’s got to be the right talent, at the right time, in the right place” Eric Bischoff would continue. “[They’ve got to be] surrounded by the right people at the right time. That’s going to shift the business. IF the business is going to shift? It’s going to shift as a result of a multitude of different things, a variety of different things.”
“It’s always going to be important, this is a talent driven business, always has been always will be” Bischoff would finish. “But it takes more than just the talent for seismic shift to occur.”
Do you agree with Eric Bischoff? Are there any talents that you could see making a huge difference if given the opportunity? Let us know in the comments
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff believes All Elite Wrestling should hire Bully Ray. Bischoff shared his thoughts during a recent episode of his podcast 83 Weeks.
Bischoff argued how Bully Ray is not only an experienced veteran but is a talented wrestler who understands the “art of creating emotion.”
“I don’t know why Bully’s not there in AEW because he’s valuable. There’s some really talented people there, and obviously, Chris Jericho is maybe one of the most creative people right now,” Bischoff said. “But wouldn’t you like to have 2, or 3, or 4 people that have Chris Jericho’s kind of experience and feel, but maybe come at it from a couple different perspectives so you have options? I would think somebody like AEW would really benefit from Bully’s experience.”
Alongside the aforementioned Chris Jericho, AEW has a wealth of additional veteran talent to pull from. Dustin Rhodes, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson are all part of the promotion, to name just a few. Eric Bischoff, himself, has also featured on multiple episode of AEW Dynamite.
Former WCW President Erich Bischoff reflected on his time in TNA back in 2010 during an episode of his 83 Weeks podcast on AdFreeShows. The episode saw Bischoff and Conrad Thompson looking back on TNA Final Resolution 2010. During their conversation, Bischoff also addressed how Dixie Carter handled Jeff Hardy during that time.
Bischoff confessed he did not enjoy his time in TNA back in 2010. He claimed he wasn’t in “TV shape,” explaining how he was carrying “15 or 20 extra pounds” at that time.
“I didn’t put forth the effort. My performances were generally decent or pretty good, but my physical appearance, I look back and I’m embarrassed,” Bischoff confessed. “I wished somebody would have pulled me aside and said get a haircut and lose 20 pounds, dress a little better and show up next week.”
He admitted part of the reason behind his lackluster approach was because he “really wasn’t into it.”
Bischoff added how it wasn’t his goal to be on TV in TNA. He wasn’t excited about being involved as, he argued in comparison to WCW and WWE, “TNA was a notch or four down.”
Bischoff explained how he’d “already been to that mountain.”
However, “I didn’t say that to myself when I got there. I didn’t say that to myself every time it was time to go out and do a scene, but deep down inside, that’s how I felt about it.”
Eric Bischoff acknowledged how TNA’s usage of him stemmed from wanting to get the “biggest bang for their dollar.”
He acknowledged how “Part of it was me. I’m not going to put it all on somebody else. That would not be fair or honest. I would allow myself to get sucked in because it made sense on paper, but I wasn’t passionate about it.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzPoilF17JE
Dixie Carter’s Handling of Jeff Hardy’s Issues
Eric Bischoff then turned his attention to how Dixie Carter handled Jeff Hardy’s substance issues whilst maintaining her TNA duties. He stressed how “Dixie loved Jeff Hardy.”
He added how Dixie Carter was a “healer” and a “fixer.” According to Bischoff, she would “look for broken people and fix them.” He explained how Dixie almost became like a mother to Jeff during that difficult time.
“Dixie didn’t talk a lot about Jeff to me or probably to anybody else. What a mistake, right? But the intention was there. Her intentions were honorable and good,” Bischoff said. “I think because of the lack of wrestling experience or lack of experience in general on Dixie’s part, she knew she was taking a risk but I don’t think she realized how big a risk she was taking, not only for Jeff, but for the people Jeff was in the ring with.”
Jeff Hardy defeated Matt Morgan at TNA Final Resolution 2010. They competed in a No Disqualification matchup for the TNA World Championship.
Eric Bischoff signed with WWE in 2002 to serve as the on-screen Raw General Manager authority figure. He held this post for three years before being relieved in December 2005.
During the latest episode of his 83 weeks podcast, the former WCW president opened up about his kayfabe firing from the position and the real-life situation behind it.
Bischoff recalled how it was Stephanie McMahon who called him to discuss the situation and explain that they wanted to go in a different direction with the storyline:
“This wasn’t me necessarily getting fired; I got notified by Stephanie McMahon that they just decided they were going to go in a different creative direction.
I still had time left on my contract when I got the call from Stephanie, and she said ‘Look, we’re going to take a different direction, pay you through your contract.” recalled Eric Bischoff, “You didn’t do anything wrong, there’s no heat. We just need to go in a different direction.”
The former WWE star continued by saying that he was tired of playing the same on-screen character as well and he feels like he fulfilled his goal of ending his career in WWE as a performer on a positive note.
Bischoff made a few more sporadic appearances for the promotion after his on-screen firing from the General Manager post. He was finally released by the company in August 2007 after the expiry of his contract.
Eric Bischoff has stayed active in the wrestling business even after the folding of WCW and the former WCW President has worked backstage roles for different promotions, including a couple of runs with WWE.
His first run with the company came in the early 2000s, a time which many consider to be the peak of Triple H’s in-ring career. On the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, the former WCW official talked about Triple H’s reign in detail.
During the interview, Eric Bischoff also revealed the one thing he hated about Triple H’s character, calling him out for never changing his entrance:
“So here is the infamous Triple H entrance that never changed, whether he was a heel or a babyface, I f–king hate it. I hate it. I mean, if you’re going to be a heel, damn it, be a heel! Don’t be a hero. Don’t come out there like someone doing a Marvel audition for the next Thor movie. If you’re a heel, you’re a heel. Jesus Christ.”
Bischoff continued the explanation saying that the reason Triple H never got heat from fans as a heel was because he never really wanted to be one:
“And you wonder why he never really got any heat, because he wasn’t really a heel, he didn’t want to be a heel. He’d wrestle like a heel. He would do the chicken s–t things that were requisite to be a heel within the body of a match, but the character would never change. He’s out there spitting his water, and oh my God.”
Though later in the interview, Eric Bischoff confirmed that he has no personal heat with the WWE Vice President and he is just having fun with the comments.
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff has commented on Sting’s recent AEW debut at Winter is Coming. Bischoff responded to fans commenting on the debut on Twitter. He shared his excitement over what Sting’s signing means for AEW and “The Icon” himself.
Bischoff discussed the future storyline potential that would include the former WCW World Champion. He explained how AEW has so far “[…] over delivered on one very important story element and have laid an intriguing foundation for another.” As far as Bischoff is concerned, he’s all in on Sting’s involvement with the promotion.
I’m excited about the possibilities with the addition of @Sting to the @AEW roster and the potential of the story going forward. So far, they’ve over delivered on one very important story element and have laid an intriguing foundation for another. I’m in. https://t.co/wumtQQHL2h
In response to another fan commenting on Sting’s WCW ‘Crow’ gimmick, Bischoff reflected on how it was an “amazing story/arc” that helped redefine his character. He added how a “motivated Steve Borden can be a powerful addition to the cast.”
Hey Gary! It was an amazing story/arc that really redefined Stings character. I agree. Last night was very cool. A motivated Steve Borden can be a powerful addition to the cast. https://t.co/lhDBjbIayz
“The Icon” debuted during this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite. The Winter is Coming special not only saw the surprise debut of Sting, it also saw Kenny Omega dethrone Jon Moxley to become the new AEW World Champion.
AEW has hyped up Sting’s appearance on next week’s episode of Dynamite. “The Icon” is set to speak about his actions at Winter is Coming and will no doubt hint towards his future intentions.
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff recalled his time in TNA during a recent episode of his podcast 83 Weeks. He and Conrad Thompson discussed TNA’s 2010 Bound For Glory pay-per-view.
During the episode, Eric Bischoff shared his thoughts on Abyss, describing him as a wonderful human being who was “stuck on this Mick Foley ripoff character.” It was a gimmick Bischoff confessed he always hated.
“Abyss is a wonderful human being. He is an amazingly talented guy but he was stuck on this Mick Foley ripoff character. I always hated that character, I couldn’t stand it when I was in TNA,” Bischoff said. “I couldn’t wait to get Abyss out of the Abyss character and get him into the Chris Park character which he did a phenomenal job at.”
Abyss competed against Rob Van Dam in a Monster’s Ball match on the card. Despite the match stipulations intending to, in theory, favor Abyss, Van Dam would emerge victorious from their bout.
In 2019, Chris Parks, who portrayed Abyss in TNA, signed a contract with WWE. He currently works for the company as a producer. He made his on-screen debut during the August 14 episode of SmackDown, appearing as AJ Styles’ statistician during Styles’ feud with Jeff Hardy.
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff made a surprise appearance during last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. He appeared to ask a question during the Chris Jericho and MJF Town Hell segment, discussing whether MJF should join the Inner Circle. During an episode of his podcast 83 Weeks, Bischoff addressed how his appearance came to be.
Bischoff recalled how AEW reached out to him, asking if he’d be interested in appearing on the show. He admitted he didn’t know what this entailed. Bischoff also noted that he didn’t ask any creative questions regarding the segment.
“They just wanted to know if I was available, and if I’d be interested. And I said, ‘Sure.’ I’d figure it out when it was time to figure it out. And then I found out oh, maybe five days before,” Bischoff revealed. “Just kind of a really brief outline of what that segment or scene, or whatever you wanna call it was going to be. And it was pretty straightforward. Like I said, it’s not like I had to get into character for it or anything. So it was easy, and it was fun. And I watched it last night live, I thought it was fairly effective.”
“Make It Your Own”
Bischoff also explained how he wanted to approach the “political” vibe of the segment with appropriate line delivery. He wanted to ensure he stayed consistent with what the Town Hall was. That being said, he still had some initial thoughts on the material he shared with Chris Jericho.
“I took what had been prepared for me in the notes and I went, ‘Oh yeah. But if I changed it up this way, it won’t change the meaning of anything. It does the exact same thing, it just kind of makes it feel more tuned-in politically, based on the theme of that segment.'”
He explained approaching Jericho with his notes and being given the go-ahead to change whatever he felt was necessary. According to Bischoff, Jericho told him to “make it your own,” which he did after “polishing it up a little bit” in his head.
Eric Bischoff On Not Telling MJF
Despite approaching Jericho about changing lines, Bischoff confessed he forgot to inform MJF.
“[…] it wasn’t until last night when I watched it, did I realize that I smartened up Chris, but I didn’t smarten up MJF. He had no idea that question was coming the way I posed it.”
Bischoff praised MJF’s ability to stay in the moment and improvise as needed without becoming flustered by the change. He stressed how a more experienced wrestler wouldn’t have an issue with the surprise, noting how most younger wrestlers would have been tripped up by the changes.
“[…] I should have gone to MJF and because it was close to showtime, and in my mind it didn’t really change that much, I went ‘Eh, whatever. I’ll just go out and do it.’ I didn’t decide not to do it, I just didn’t think to go smarten up MJF. And man, he just hit that thing like a two-hundred pound softball. Just splattered it. Didn’t miss a beat.”
Eric Bischoff added how MJF is “a very talented guy,” something he noted the wrestler is already fully aware of. Bischoff admitted MJF’s mic skills and improvisational ability left him highly “impressed” with the AEW star.
Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite not only featured a special appearance by Eric Bischoff but also made Chris Jericho vs. MJF official for the upcoming Full Gear show.
Dynamite saw Inner Circle hold a Town Hall Meeting to determine if MJF could join up with the group. Various stars asked questions to figure out whether MJF could be a good fit for the group.
During this, Eric Bischoff also made a cameo to ask a couple of different questions such as how they would know the other wouldn’t attack them once in the group.
This led to Jericho throwing out the challenge for a match at Full Gear. The stipulation is that if MJF beats him then he can join the group, and MJF accepted.
This marked Bischoff’s second AEW appearance as he previously hosted a debate between Jericho and Orange Cassidy. This was at a time where the two AEW stars were feuding and heading into their third match, which just so happened to be a Mimosa Mayhem Match at the All Out pay-per-view event last month.
Jericho stated in a live stream that he came up with the idea to use Bischoff as well as the way he portrayed as the moderator for the segment.
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff has labeled Bret Hart as a “negative, miserable guy” on a recent episode of his podcast, 83 Weeks.
Back in 1993, Hart made negative comments about WCW regarding drugs. Taking issue with this, Bischoff addressed Hart’s statements, claiming that it’s “typical” of Bret Hart both then and now.
Bischoff argued how if Bret doesn’t have somebody to “bury, criticize or blame,” then he can’t have much of a conversation at all. He punctuated this point by stating that Bret simply “doesn’t have much to say.”
“It didn’t resonate with me, I think partially because WWE, Vince McMahon, federal court, indicted, drug distribution, goes back a long time. That is not the WWE of today, but we are going back to 1993.”
He speculated how Bret brought up drug discussion relating to WCW in order to “clear the smoke in his own room by creating it in somebody else’s.” According to Bischoff, an approach and attitude like that defines Bret Hart as a person.
“[…] that is Bret. I’ll actually use his words in this context. I don’t mean to say anything bad about anybody, but Bret has a tendency to be a winy b****. I told you a few months ago, I said I was going to take the high road. But he continues to rehash this negative nonsense and bury people.”
Bischoff continued, “It doesn’t make me angry. That’s Bret. Whether he is burying Ric Flair or whether he is burying Mick Foley or Vince McMahon or Eric Bischoff or Bill Goldberg, he is just a negative, miserable guy. That’s how he goes through his daily life. He was doing that in 1993 and he is still doing it today.”
Eric Bischoff made some interesting comments about WWE NXT and TNA Wrestling.
While speaking on his After 83 Weeks post-show, the former SmackDown Executive Director spoke about the differences between TNA about 7 years ago and today’s NXT.
“I don’t think NXT is as good as TNA was when TNA was at its peak.”
He continued by noting that something being at its peak is subjective as some people like it at various stages. He stated that a lot of people liked it because it did feel different in the very beginning or because it was new or it had a smaller presentation. He noted that more than anything, everybody loves a competitor.
“But if you go back and look at TNA in terms of its peak across the boards, not for a moment in time but for an extended period of time across the boards in terms of television ratings, PPV buys and house show attendance. That’s going to be that period of time that I was describing earlier.
Right around the Aces and Eights peak storyline period with Brooke [Hogan] and Bully [Ray] and all of that when they were putting 2500, 3500, 5000 people in a venue.
Yes, they did, and they actually paid for it. I don’t know that NXT is doing anything better than TNA was when TNA was at its peak. I would be pretty sure…that I would bet that there are a lot more resources being pumped into NXT than there ever were being pumped into TNA.”
Bischoff came into the promotion in January 2010 alongside Hulk Hogan. He would be behind various storylines including the Aces & Eights group and Bully Ray becoming TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
Monday, October 5th marked 23 years since the death of wrestling legend Brian Pillman. The “Loose Cannon” famously once convinced Eric Bischoff to legitimately release him from his WCW contract as part of a groundbreaking ‘worked shoot’ storyline back in 1996. Pillman would use the opportunity of being a free agent to sign a big contract with WWE.
Brian Pillman signs with the World Wrestling Federation
During a recent episode of the 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff spoke about his memories of Brian Pillman. Co-host Conrad Thompson asked Bischoff about his reaction upon finding out that Pillman has passed away.
“My own personal reaction, I was – devastated might be too strong a word, Brian and I weren’t that close and I don’t want to suggest that we were – but I was really saddened by it, obviously,” Bischoff said. “Brian was someone who I considered a friend regardless of the business issues that we may or may not have had from time to time.”
“Beyond those issues, Brian was just someone that I dug being around,” Bischoff continued. “He was a guy that I got to know a little bit in WCW prior to getting into management. Spent a little bit of time with him on a European tour and had quite a bit of fun.”
Bischoff continued by saying that he and much of the WCW locker room were devastated by his passing. As tragic has his death was, Bischoff says that he and others were not entirely surprised at Pillman’s demise due to the lifestyle he was living at the time.
“It was, I would say, shocking but not surprising, is unfortunately probably the most accurate way to state most people’s reactions. Regardless of what was going on in Brian’s personal life, he was a very well-liked individual.”
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff recently discussed one of the company’s most iconic match types. War Games began in National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling; the two ring cage match created some of the greatest matches and moments from WCW circa the late eighties/early nineties.
Eric Bicshoff on WarGames
Bischoff would admit that he actually wasn’t a fan of the concept…sort of. “I didn’t really like the concept…Well, let me be clear. Sometimes I talk faster than I should! It’s not that I didn’t like the concept, the conceit, the idea, the ideation, if you will of WarGames. It was kind of cool, it kind of makes sense.”
Eric Bischoff would then discuss the wider implications of the match, saying how whilst WarGames was ‘cool,’ it didn’t have the same importance as the likes of a Royal Rumble in the rival promotion. “You pointed out (co-host Conrad Thompson) for example the Royal Rumble, and how that became a tentpole event for WWE. I think one of the reasons for it is because of the outcome of Royal Rumble sets the stage of what’s going to happen for the next six or eight months. Theoretically it used to, more so than it does today.”
“Wargames didn’t have that element” Bischoff continued. “It was a spectacle. It was different, it was very unique in its own way. But that alone I don’t think made WarGames really that viable. And since it wasn’t the pay per view (Fall Brawl) that kind of helped set the tone for what was going to come? It was really, I hate to say it, it was…it was just another pay per view.”
Eric Bischoff would finish by re-stating that point, saying how WarGames was ‘just another match’ in the grand scheme of things. “That was unique in the format, because it was WarGames. But regardless of what happened in WarGames? Other than ending some storylines and beginning others? It was just another pay per view, but it was another pay per view that was pretty cool, because it was unique.”
Do you agree with Eric Bischoff? What was your favourite WarGames match? Let us know in the comments
Speaking on his podcast, 83 Weeks, Bischoff revealed how he has “never signed a 1-year deal” in his life before adding how he “never would.” He admitted he doesn’t want to get involved in anything long-term unless it’s a project he knows he’ll enjoy. Bischoff noted how his interest in a long-term deal is driven by his desire to “really connect” and engage with the material.
“Same with WWE when I was under contract. When I was there as an employee last summer, I was an employee; I didn’t have a contract. There were no contracts, but when I was under contract, they were all 2 and 3-year agreements. I never signed a 1-year agreement ever.”
Eric Bischoff: AJ Styles’ Wasn’t A “Big Draw” Outside Of TNA
During the show, Eric Bischoff looked back on his time in TNA Wrestling and one of its stars: AJ Styles. He explained why he personally didn’t feel how AJ Styles was a draw in the company at the time.
According to Bischoff, outside of TNA and its core audience, “not a lot of people knew AJ Styles.” He acknowledged Styles’ in-ring ability but stressed how he fell into a “younger developing category” compared to other roster members.
“He had been in the business for 8 years. He wasn’t really a big draw outside of the TNA core audience because he hadn’t had the exposure, not because he wasn’t good enough.”
Bischoff expressed how this isn’t the case in WWE, pointing to Styles’ success within the promotion. However, he stressed that back in TNA, not many people knew who he was “outside of the bubble.”
1998 was an interesting year in WCW. The NWO split into two factions, NWO Hollywood and NWO Wolfpac. Goldberg was beginning to gain traction on Nitro. At the start of the year, WCW had a stranglehold on the ratings as well. Following WrestleMania 14 that year, however, things began to change. WWE would win the ratings war for the first time in 83 weeks on April 13th, 1998. WCW would only win it 8 more times before being bought out in 2001.
Bischoff says he wishes he had quit WCW that year. He spoke with Conrad Thompson on his podcast about it.
“The only regret I’ve ever really admitted to, to myself, not to anyone else, to myself, was regretting the fact that I didn’t quit WCW in July of 1998,” Bischoff said on the show.
“I saw the handwriting on the wall, I saw what was going on and I saw where it was taking me,” Bischoff continued. “90% of my battles weren’t being fought in a booking meeting or a creative meeting my battles were being fought internally and it took me away from creative.”
“I didn’t prioritize creative and we started just doing what was quickest and easiest and made sense in the moment as opposed to really digging in and being passionate about it the way we were in 96, 97 and early 98 before the whole AOL/Time Warner thing started happening.”
The Ultimate Warrior was briefly part of the WCW roster in 1998. He feuded with Hollywood Hogan, formed the “One Warrior Nation” and then was gone from the promotion by the end of the year. Eric Bischoff recently spoke about Warrior’s contract with WCW and the negotiations he went through with him.
“The deal closed with Warrior a matter of weeks after my first meeting,” Bischoff said. “It wasn’t a long protracted negotiation or discussion. There was no follow-up meetings, there was no open issues that had to be addressed. We had the meeting, we covered it, we almost immediately started into contract negotiations with Warrior’s attorney and they wrapped up rather quickly.”
Conrad then asked Bischoff if Warrior had creative control of his storylines worked into his contract.
“Nope,” Bischoff responded. “Look, he wanted an opportunity to be involved in the discussion, so would anybody, so would anybody right now in WWE and so would anybody right now in AEW. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that conversation? But there was no creative control discussion whatsoever.”
Conrad then asked if Warrior had any weird requests during contract negotiations but evidently there were none.
“There were no eccentric requests that I can remember,” Bischoff admitted.
The Ultimate Warrior signed with WCW in 1998. His run with the company began in May of that year. He competed in 3 matches and was eventually gone from the company that fall.
Eric Bischoff recently spent some time on his 83 Weeks podcast talking about what it was like working with Warrior. In particular, Bischoff spoke about Warrior cutting a 20-minute promo on Hulk Hogan on his debut appearance with the company.
“It was the worst feeling I’ve ever had on live television,” Bischoff said about the promo. Warrior’s promo went almost half an hour, causing chaos for the production that night.
Bischoff was asked by Conrad how many minutes he feels they had scheduled for Warrior’s promo.
“Under 10,” Bischoff responded. “Probably 7 or 8 tops. Keep in mind we had to hit a commercial break. Fortunately, we were owned by the same company that owned the network we were on.”
Bischoff continued to say that even short promos can be hard to keep the audience engaged for.
“I think this could have gone as long as 27 minutes,” Bischoff said about Warrior’s promo. “I don’t know anybody who can get out there for 27 minutes and hold an audience.”
Bischoff told Warrior to wrap it up during the promo.
“When you’re standing in that ring and the camera is on you and you realize that at home 3,4,5 million people possibly are dying all at the same time, there is nothing worse as a producer or a talent of live television than a moment like that, and that’s how I felt.”
During the peak of WCW Nitro in the 1990s, fans would often throw trash in the ring. In particular, NWO members Hollywood Hogan and Eric Bischoff would often get pelted with debris thrown from live crowds. Bischoff addressed the fans tendency to throw stuff in the ring during a recent edition of his 83 Weeks podcast.
“We didn’t encourage it but we loved it,” Bischoff said on the show. “With a small handful of exceptions, there were some people especially when things got really hot. When people started throwing quarters from the cheap seats, you know?”
Bischoff also spoke about how he and others would do their best to not react to the trash being thrown or even hitting them.
“The no-sell, that just made it better, that just encouraged people to do it more cause they wanted to be the ones to get your attention. It was kind of fun, I enjoyed that when that happened. Sounds weird, doesn’t it?”
Bischoff and Conrad then agreed throwing stuff in the ring is not something fans should do now, however.
Former WCW President and WWE Executive Director of SmackDown Eric Bischoff recently appeared on AEW Dynamite. ‘Easy E’ appeared in a segment with Orange Cassidy and former AEW ‘Le Champion’ Chris Jericho.
One of the more interesting aspects of this week’s 83 Weeks podcast was Bischoff’s take on the ‘non-scripted’ elements of AEW programming. Eric Bischoff discussed on the podcast about how the concept is ‘progressive’ in an era of heavily scripted to a minutia WWE programming.
Eric Bischoff on AEW Promos
“It’s like ‘wow this is a really progressive way to go about this'” Bischoff began, discussing the promo styling of AEW. “Let’s not have writers. Because we’ve all been, conditioned now over the last how many years to talk about creative and writers from the perspective of almost a traditional television show. Or a traditional scripted television show.”
Bischoff would elaborate further, discussing how WWE have completely changed the production and scripting style of a ‘pro wrestling’ show. In the past, WWE would have a minimal amount of talent writing the show (McMahon, Patterson, Prichard, Russo et al). Whereas over the past decade they’ve introduced a slew of writers to the television format.
“We’ve got producers, we’ve got writers, we’ve got directors now. Not that they didn’t exist before, but in wrestling we call them different things. But the process for professional wrestling has evolved/changed. Evolved or devolved, depending on your perspective, to the point where everything has become so scripted that we expect that’s the way it’s going to be. But now AEW is approaching it differently.”
‘Conceptualizing’ The Show
Bischoff would also discuss how AEW ‘conceptualizes’ the product, giving their talent freedom structure promos and interviews in their ‘own’ way. “They’re spending the week writing the show or conceptualizing the show. I don’t even want to say writing it because they’re probably putting it together differently than obviously a WWE would; in terms of reducing everything to paper and approving every little comment period and quotation mark. All those other silly things that people waste time on…in some places.”
“But here you know it’s a collaboration” Bischoff continued. “And they probably, I’m guessing, I didn’t talk to Cody about this, so I have no insight at all. But I’m guessing? They’ve got a pretty good outline and blueprint of what they want to do for the show, because you have to plan, you have to ‘time’ your show.”
Do you feel that the promo styling in AEW is greater than WWE’s currently? Let us know in the comments
