Eric Bischoff has opened up on his departure from WWE after serving as the SmackDown Executive Director for a few months in 2019. 

Bischoff has been replaced by Bruce Prichard as the Executive Director of SmackDown. Bischoff did so a bonus episode of “83 Weeks” available on Patreon only. 

Bischoff told a story about how the idea of him coming back to the company started after having breakfast with Bruce Prichard, whose idea it was. This led to him being set up with a casual meeting with Vince McMahon at WWE HQ. 

At this point, he wasn’t convinced that coming back full-time was something that he wanted to do nor need it for financial gain. After the meeting, several weeks later, he got a second meeting where he was offered the job. 

“I didn’t think about it enough, I had to do some internal inventory and make sure that I was mentally and emotionally prepared to make a change as drastic as picking up, moving all my sh*t from Wyoming  … not all of it.

He later stated, “I suspected that there was a good chance that it would be a short-term relationship. I didn’t think it was gonna be quite as short-term as it WAS, but in my own mind I put kind of a two-year ticker on it.”

Bischoff continued that news of him getting the job with WWE was made official within 24 hours of him agreeing to the job.

He talked about how his role was to work with every department related to SmackDown. He made it clear that McMahon told him at the start that Bischoff wasn’t to be involved with creative but to just oversee the process. 

Bischoff credits the relationship not working because he wasn’t prepared for the radical change in scenery nor fully understanding his ability to adapt to the situation upon starting his job at WWE. 

Bischoff stated that he felt like he was drowning due to a number of things like SmackDown moving to FOX and the uncertainty of the brand split. He also praised Paul Heyman for being able to handle and overcome challenges of the workload in WWE including being on someone else’s schedule. 

“I knew about six weeks in, eight weeks in, it just wasn’t going to work out. I knew I wasn’t fitting and it wasn’t a secret. It just wasn’t right,” he went on to add. “Vince wanted it to work. I believe that. I absolutely believe that. There was no reason for him to set me up this way. The opportunity that he gave me was amazing.” 

Bischoff thinks that both he and McMahon knew it wasn’t working out. He also stated that he was disappointed because he didn’t live up to Vince’s expectations.

Finally, regarding his dismissal, he recalled being told on a Tuesday by someone not named McMahon in the office that the two sides were going to part ways. 

“I had to fit in the system and I wasn’t able to do it in the timeline it needed to be done.”

• Eric Bischoff Discusses The Idea Of David Benoit Signing With WWE Or AEW

H/T to Pro Wrestling Sheet

Firing Stone Cold Steve Austin while he was recovering from an injury was arguably one of the biggest mistakes WCW and Eric Bischoff made during the Attitude Era as The Texas Rattle Snake signed with WWE after this. He then went on to become one of the biggest stars in the wrestling history and his battles with Vince McMahon played a crucial part in winning the Monday Night Wars for the company.

On the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff talked about the firing of the former World Champion and revealed how a phone call led to this decision. The former WCW President recalled the time when Austin was in home recovering from a triceps injury but they were still paying him a lot of money due to his guaranteed contract.

So to make sure that Austin’s character stayed alive and it didn’t disappear from TV completely, Bischoff decided to put him in a backstage segment at WCW Staturday Night. He asked Tony Schiavone to give Stone Cold a call to come and shoot the promo but the former Champion didn’t want to come to the phone:

“Tony called Steve and Steve’s wife answered the phone, and the way it was reported back to me from Tony was that Steve’s wife said ‘Hey Steve, Tony Schiavone is on the phone he wants to talk to you’, and Tony could hear Steve yelling back to his wife, ‘Tell them sons of b—–s I’m not here.'” recalled Bischoff. “Well, that’s pretty bulls–t right? That’s bulls–t. He was there; he just didn’t want to have a conversation. He didn’t want to hear anything I had to say, or maybe he was in pain, I don’t know.”

• Also Read: Backstage News On Roman Reigns Pulling Out Of WrestleMania

Schiavone then came back to Eric Bischoff and detailed the call which led to him believing that Austin was being dishonest to him. According to the former WCW executive, he becomes irrational once he feels that someone is being dishonest with him and this is the reason why he made the call to let the former Champion go.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Eric Bischoff has broached the idea of David Benoit potentially signing with WWE or All Elite Wrestling. The former WCW President discussed the topic during a Q&A session on the After 83 Weeks w/Christy Olson podcast. He was asked by a fan about the politics involved in Benoit signing with a major pro wrestling promotion given his family’s tragic story. 

“At this time? I don’t know for sure,” Eric Bischoff began. “Because I don’t know what the politics that are you specifically asked, WWE? I think first of all I think we’d be far better served to go to AEW than WWE. But in either case, if either of those opportunities became available? If I were managing David? I would really think hard about getting into the ring and making that choice.” 

Bischoff continued, “Because it’s being the son of a wrestler, being the son of a star in this business put so much pressure on you. Way more than the pressure is on the average person.”

“You take two people with equal, equal potential, everything is genetically equal. Almost identical except for birth parents, right, you put them through the same life experiences? You give them the same opportunities? You put them both into a wrestling environment to give them a chance to be a star? They’ll both accelerate in this example at the exact same pace; same levels, and the son of a star or daughter, as the case may be. An stablished star big name, versus the son of someone who’s coming in with no baggage, or help? I would bet against the son or daughter of a star every single time.”

Eric Bischoff On Nepotism, Wrestlers Proving Themselves

Eric Bischoff then acknowledged how there are hardcore fans that would take issue with the idea of nepotism potentially playing a factor. Bischoff suggested how Benoit would probably be under increased personal pressure if he decided to pursue a wrestling career.

He argued that if fans felt that a wrestler was getting opportunities and chances because of name association, that wrestler would have to work “two or three times harder than anybody else” to prove themselves. 

This week, VICE TV aired the premiere of Dark Side of the Ring Season 2. The two-hour special focused on the tragic Benoit family story. 

H/T to WrestlingNews for the transcription. 

Former WCW President and co-host of the 83 Weeks podcast Eric Bischoff recently commented on the AEW and WWE ’empty arena’ shows that have been taking place over the past couple of weeks. With the COVID-19 coronavirus causing major sports and entertainment to either be cancelled or re-scheduled, the two biggest pro wrestling promotions in the United States have opted to continue with their live broadcasts.

Eric Bischoff on AEW and WWE

WWE were first to broadcast from the Performance Center for Friday Night SmackDown. With the situation being fluid and no one truly knowing what will happen week to week, the company would attempt to try and still entertain fans with a skeleton crew and no actual audience in attendance. When AEW aired on TNT, they had a different, more ‘Ring of Honor hard camera’ approach to their production, which garnered praise seemingly across the board. Eric Bischoff was also someone who appreciated the quality of AEW’s production and style over the past couple of weeks.

“WWE missed the mark on the first couple of shows”

Eric Bischoff

“I think AEW is doing a great job” Bischoff began on this week’s episode of After 83 Weeks w/ Christy Olson. “WWE missed the mark on the first couple of shows. I almost, almost picked up the phone to call someone and say ‘hey maybe you just want to think about this?'”

WWE Is Too Glitzy?

Bischoff would then give his insight and ideas. “Here’s my take, right. When you look at the WWE product its very glitzy. You know, the high production values are second to none. When it comes to live event production? There is no one on the face of the earth that does live event production the way WWE does. It’s an art. That’s the good news…bad news is, when there’s no audience and you still dress everything up? It’s still bright. There’s colours, there’s lights, you can see that there’s nobody there. But the venue has no personality, the venue has no character. It’s a bright, multicoloured, very sterile environment. And for me it was kind of like, I just can’t watch it.”

AEW Giving The Arena ‘Character’

Eric Bischoff finished by comparing how the AEW product seemingly made the venue a ‘character.’ Something that added to the show instead of being a deterrent. “AEW kind of made the venue a little bit more of a character. And one of the ways they did it is the way they shot a lot of their angles. They were tighter, there was a lot more close ups, a lot less wide shots. To me they shot it better.”

WWE have reported already pre-taped a large number of segments/matches for WrestleMania 36 next weekend. It will be interesting to see if the company will be making any changes to the production style for the shows, considering how the ’empty arena’ presentation will play a huge part at the biggest show of the year.

Also Check Out:

• Many In WWE Reportedly Upset With Decision Not To Postpone WrestleMania
• More Names Reportedly Off WrestleMania 36 Card
• AEW Dynamite & NXT TV Viewership (3/25)

Former WCW President and co-host of the 83 Weeks podcast Eric Bischoff recently discussed the announcement that WrestleMania 36 will be taking place over two nights. For the first time ever, WWE’s biggest show of the year will take place without any fans in attendance. This is of course due to the current COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak that has completely changed the state of live entertainment and sports over the past few weeks.

Eric Bischoff on WrestleMania

Bischoff talked about the lack of audience for the show on After 83 Weeks with Christy Olson. “Oftentimes I’m asked how important the audience is to the show itself” Bischoff would begin. “One of the things that I’ve said over the last three decades, and when I got that question was; someone told me once that, and I don’t know if this is true, someone told me once that Elvis Presley said that the most important part of any of his shows was the audience.”

“the audience is like the third or the fourth person in the ring”

Eric Bischoff

Eric Bischoff elaborated further, saying “that always stuck with me. Whenever I could keep the audience alive, with the Nitro girls etc. All those decisions were probably born out of the fact that it made a lot of sense to me. That the audience is like the third or the fourth person in the ring. You’ve got the two combatants, if it’s a singles match, you’ve got the referee, and then you’ve got the audience. So there’s really five characters, you know, or four characters on the show to draw an analogy, or to draw a kind of example.”

Unprecedented WrestleMania

Bischoff finished by saying “I would say just imagine, just close your eyes, use your imagination. Take the best WrestleMania match you can you can imagine, whatever you think your favourite WrestleMania matches are. Now have that match in a high school gym in front of no people. I’ve used that analogy over and over and over again over the last 10-20 years. I never would have imagined that we’d be sitting here, you know, discussing the fact that this WrestleMania is going to take place.”

• Ryback Claims Vince McMahon “Doesn’t Give A F*** About Anyone”

Eric Bischoff has praised the chemistry that existed between Steve Austin and Brian Pillman during their time as The Hollywood Blonds. The two tagged together during in WCW. Bischoff opened up about working with the duo during a recent episode of his podcast, 83 Weeks. 

“I had the opportunities to kind of watch Brian and Steve backstage, not so much watching them in the ring. Which, is always fun to watch don’t get be wrong, but it was also fun watching them together backstage” Bischoff said. “They really enjoyed working together, the chemistry was great. Again, you know, similar personalities, different interests I’m sure but similar personalities in there.”

Eric Bischoff On Austin/Pillman’s Relationship

Eric Bischoff opened up about how Pillman could be “moody” from time to time. He explained, “It goes with the territory but for the most part, you know when you see these two guys together? They were cutting up. they were having a blast. You could tell the chemistry was there.”

He noted how the two weren’t merely “tolerating” each other. Instead, he could see how much they truly enjoyed hanging out and spending time together. Not only with their professional in-ring work but in travelling together and just hanging out. “It was great, great chemistry with amazing talent, which is why it stood out as much as it did.”

Teaming together as The Hollywood Blonds, Austin and Pillman won the WCW World Tag Team Championships and the NWA World Tag Team Championships.

H/T to WrestlingNews for the transcription

Eric Bischoff has not taken lightly to the All Elite Wrestling’s president Tony Khan’s comments. Khan had recently told the Financial Times that he plans to run the company in a different way than Eric Bischoff ran World Championship Wrestling when he was the president.

This statement didn’t sit too well with Bischoff, who has responded back to Khan on a recent episode of his podcast, 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff.

Back in late February, Bischoff said that he AEW had a long way to go to even reach WCW’s success. Bischoff said that Khan has not been in the wrestling industry for years like him, and he isn’t sure that Khan would be able to change the wrestling industry.

“Call me in a couple of years and let me know how you’ve changed the industry. Call me in a couple of years when your show is one of the top, if not the top original piece of programming on the TNT network,” Bischoff said. “Call me in a couple of years when you’re number two, number three, number four in all of the cable programming for the night in primetime, and then let’s talk about it. But until then, hmm, I’ll just have another cup of coffee and see what happens.”

• Related: Booker T Believes Eric Bischoff Doesn’t Deserve A Hall Of Fame Induction

After this scathing statement, Bischoff just couldn’t let go and talked about the matter again on the next episode of his podcast which aired last week. Bischoff stated that WWE wouldn’t have been the company that it is today if not for the pressure, the influence, and the template that Bischoff thinks WCW created that made the whole industry competitive and took things to the next level.

Bischoff said that Tony is doing what he did, such as using pay-per-view event names similar to WCW’s, a “low budget Nitro,” paying huge amounts of money to stars that they have never been paid before, etc.

Bischoff said, “You’re still seeing the impact of early Nitro across the board including in AEW as much as they try to suggest, as Tony Khan did recently, that we’re gonna do everything different than Eric Bischoff did. Well, guess what m-fer? You’re doing about as much as I did than anyone else in the industry.”

Bischoff continued by explaining that many of WCW Nitro’s innovations are being employed by WWE and AEW to this day.

“I’m not defensive about that. I think it’s just a fact when you look at things objectively. The things we did on Nitro [are what] you’re still seeing today. They’re things that change the nature, the landscape [and] the entire industry, and I think it’s even fairer to say, now that I’m into my third Starbucks, WWE wouldn’t be the company that it is today had it not been for the pressure, the influence and quite frankly the template we created that they were able to follow and take to the next level, so there I’m off my soapbox. Sorry.”

You can listen to a clip of Eric Bischoff talking about Tony Khan and WCW’s influence on AEW/WWE below:

H/T to WrestlingINC for the transcribed quotes

Booker T is of the opinion that the former President of World Championship Wrestling Eric Bischoff doesn’t deserve to be inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame.

Speaking on the Hall of Fame podcast on ESPN, Booker T said that while he doesn’t really have a bad thing to say about Eric Bischoff he, just thinks that Bischoff doesn’t deserve to be inducted into the HOF because of how he handled WCW. According to Booker T, the end of the promotion began when Bischoff wrote himself in an on-screen storyline. According to Booker, there’s no way one can manage a company when they’re in the middle of it, heavily involved as an on-screen personality.

“I just thought that was the recipe for disaster, and the demise at the end of the day, for WCW. I just don’t know, people can say ‘well Vince McMahon, he played a part in the company.’ Well, it was his money. It was his company. Eric Bischoff was hired to do a certain job, and I say the same thing about Vince Russo.”

Related: Kevin Nash Believes Eric Bischoff Deserves Solo Induction Into WWE Hall Of Fame

Booker T then touched on other things that he thought Eric Bischoff did wrong with WCW, such as hiring Vince Russo as a writer for the promotion. Russo also wrote himself into storylines and even won the WCW Heavyweight Championship. Booker T thinks that Bischoff should just have never been part of the company in this way, as far as he is concerned, Bischoff should have just had just stayed as the creator.

After Russo’s arrival in the promotion, the ratings went plummeting down. Top stars of the company were unhappy with their position and how the management was handling them.

Eric Bischoff will probably respond to Booker T’s comments via his 83 Weeks podcast, so that is something to look forward to.

Meanwhile, we don’t know if the Hall of Fame or even WrestleMania will be held in April, due to concerns of the coronavirus epidemic.

Quotes used in this article courtesy of WrestlingNews.co.

Former Executive Director of SmackDown Eric Bischoff has named which Superstar he was looking forward to working with the most. Talking about his time working with the blue brand on his podcast, After 83 Weeks, Bischoff shared an idea he had for a returning Superstar. 

“I thought Sheamus was somebody that I was really, really excited to work with because I think there’s far more potential there than we’ve seen,” said Bischoff. “There’s a fresh character there that, at least, I saw in my head. It may not have worked. But I saw it in my head and I was anxious to try to make it work.”

Bischoff worked with WWE as SmackDown’s Executive Director for approximately four months before being replaced. 

Eric Bischoff On Dennis Rodman

During the episode, Eric Bischoff also discussed Dennis Rodman. With WWE having announced that a WWE Network documentary is in the works on Rodman, Bischoff speculated about the chances of Rodman being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a celebrity entrant. 

“If it was me, and I was on the Hall of Fame committee, or I was the person making that decision, or whatever the process is, you would have to consider it, because Dennis is a pretty high-profile individual.”

When asked who he thought might induct Rodman if he were announced, Bischoff declined to answer. He explained that he is already so fatigued by the amount of Hall of Fame related tweets he is receiving, so he tends to scroll by it now instead. 

The nWo is due to be inducted into the Hall of Fame later this year. Though some believe Bischoff should be included as a part of the group, there are many who believe he deserves a solo induction.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Co-host of the 83 Weeks podcast Eric Bischoff recently discussed ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt on the show. Bischoff referred to the recent Super Showdown event where Wyatt lost his Universal Championship against Bill Goldberg; calling it ‘shocking.’ Eric Bischoff would discuss how The Fiend was a massive merchandise mover during his short time in WWE. Also how he believed that WWE were building a new ‘Undertaker-esque’ character at the time.

Bischoff at The Helm of SmackDown

Bischoff was the Executive Director of the SmackDown brand back in 2019. Although The Fiend wasn’t actually on the blue brand around the time that Bischoff was in charge; there’s a good chance that ‘Easy E’ would’ve been privy to that sort of merchandising information at the time.

“I found that shocking particularly, the way they did it [and] as quickly as they did it” Bischoff began, talking about how Goldberg would get the win against a previously dominant in-ring presence in The Fiend. “When I was in WWE, I don’t know what the situation is now. But The Fiend’s merchandise, they couldn’t produce it fast enough” Bischoff revealed.

The Fiend as a new Undertaker?

Bischoff elaborated further, saying “it appeared to me at least, that The Fiend was going to be one of those characters that could be an Undertaker esque type character over the long term.”

Bray Wyatt is currently scheduled to face John Cena at WrestleMania 36 in Tampa. The creative direction for The Fiend is currently uncertain. Wyatt has been alluding to the character’s mentality on social media. With Wyatt making allusions to the fact that Goldberg wasn’t “part of his journey.” And that John Cena at WrestleMania is “where it all began.”

It will be interesting to see how WWE play off the feud heading into WrestleMania season.

Do you think that The Fiend could be the next Undertaker? Let us know in the comments

Former WCW President Eric Bischoff recently revealed some intriguing facts regarding the former Turner franchise and lawsuits that were levied against them.

Eric Bischoff was discussing a lawsuit that was presented by Paul Heyman, as ECW talent Sabu was the subject of a contract dispute back in the year 2000. In terms of Heyman’s ‘tactics’ at that time; Bischoff said that “Heyman was a part of WCW during a period of time when all you had to do to get a checkout of Turner Broadcasting was whisper the words, ‘I think I’m going to sue you.'”

Eric Bischoff also mentioned how Turner operated back then in terms of settlements to lawsuits. “If that came with a settlement, you know, anywhere below $999,999, you get a check. WCW was very inclined to settle anything that was or wasn’t merit-less. It was just easier to make it go away than it was to, you know, defend it in court. So I don’t blame him [Heyman]. You know, I might have done the same thing.”

Sabu had previously worked with WCW back in 1995. The former hardcore star would never appear for World Championship Wrestling before their demise in 2001; possibly due to the contract dispute from ECW. During that time Sabu would work for the XPW promotion; winning their World Heavyweight Championship whilst being managed by former Danzig bassist Josh Lazie.

You can listen to the 83 Weeks podcast with Eric Bischoff via iTunes. Stitcher. Or you favourite podcast host every Monday at 6am EST.

Triple H signed with WCW in early 1994 but was gone the following year. He signed his first WWF contract in January of 1995 shortly after. Eric Bischoff was asked about his reaction to Triple H’s departure on a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast.

“I remember (Triple H gave notice) and I remember I didn’t really care,” Bischoff said. He would continue to say that he never had high aspirations for Triple H in WCW.

“Look, I wasn’t excited about hiring Paul Levesque,” Bischoff said. “I really could have taken or (left) him.”

Bischoff continued to say that Triple H not living near Atlanta was an issue in WCW at the time.

“I was really trying to concentrate our roster and build our roster around people who lived in close proximity to Atlanta,” he continued.

“I wasn’t excited about Paul when he came in and I wasn’t that disappointed when he left,” Bischoff said in contrast to reports Conrad Thompson had read. “Not that I didn’t think that he had talent, not that I didn’t think he was all that valuable.”

Bischoff would continue to say, however, that he feels Triple H saw going to WCW as a way to get noticed by WWE.

“I think he looked at WCW as a transition and a platform and an opportunity to get noticed to go to WWE,” he continued.

Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Former Executive Director of Friday Night SmackDown Eric Bischoff answered questions regarding his former role on this week’s episode of the 83 Weeks podcast. A fan wrote in to ask Bischoff to the clear the air regarding his short time in WWE from June 2019 to October 2019. Bischoff made it clear that he was unable to give away ‘too much’ about his time in the role, indicating heavily that he had signed a ‘no disclosure agreement’ of some variety when he signed with WWE.

“When I say I have more respect for some than others it’s just because I didn’t get a chance to work with everybody there”

“Yeah, this is treacherous waters upon which we were about to embark” Eric Bischoff began. “So I’m gonna be a little careful about that, I hope everybody can understand. Number one, I have nothing but respect for everybody in WWE. Everybody I worked with, some a lot more than others, and only I say that only because I had more I interface with some people. When I say I have more respect for some than others; it’s just because I didn’t get a chance to work with everybody there.”

“Overall, my respect for WWE is pretty high from Vince McMahon on down”

Bischoff elaborated further, discussing Vince McMahon directly; “overall, my respect for WWE is pretty high from Vince McMahon on down. It doesn’t mean that it was a great fit. That doesn’t mean that the chemistry was right, it doesn’t mean that the communication was great. And there’s a lot of just fundamentally human things that could have been much much better. I think for everybody. For them; certainly for them, for Vince McMahon certainly who made the call to let me go. Certainly he was disappointed that it didn’t work out. I know that for a fact.”

“There’s one guy who has creative control” – Eric Bischoff

Eric Bischoff then also moved into talking about his colleague Paul Heyman and his perceived ‘creative control’ on RAW. Heyman took over the Executive Director role on RAW at the same time Bischoff was announced for SmackDown. “There’s one guy who has creative control. This is not Paul Heyman, I hate to break your bubble, and I love Paul by the way. I regard Paul’s creative abilities and things like that so this is not meant to be any kind of a half assed attempt to take a shot or anything like that. Paul doesn’t have creative control, anybody thinks he does is kidding themselves. I know Paul doesn’t, and neither does anybody. There’s one guy has creative control. And we all know who that is.”

Do you think that Eric Bischoff should have had more of a chance at WWE? Let us know in the comments

It appears as though not everyone sees Jon Moxley’s as a main event player in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Despite garnering high praise for his work in the promotion, including from WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray, it turns out that former WCW President Eric Bischoff isn’t as taken with Moxley’s efforts. Yet.

Speaking on his podcast 83 Weeks, Bischoff broke down Moxley’s current run in AEW, admitting that he doesn’t believe Moxley is a “top guy.” 

“Not yet,” Bischoff said. “I gotta be honest, I like his character, I like his work, I like the fact that he is kind of this enigma in a way. Theres a lot of things I like about him, but the top guy? If I’m being honest, no I don’t.”

Eric Bischoff’s Belief

Eric Bischoff argued that Moxley is currently two dimensional. He believes he needs to find that third dimension to get himself to Chris Jericho’s level. He stressed that there’s nothing wrong with Moxley’s in-ring work but believes there is a “sameness” to his character. Bischoff noted how he lacks “range,” adding that this is true for a lot of characters and not just Jon Moxley. 

“You go back and look at Chris Jericho’s career and he’s been able to successfully reinvent himself so many different times and so many different ways because he has that range and that third dimension that a lot of people have really never developed,” Bischoff explained.

He continued, “A lot of top guys don’t have it. If any talent, not just Jon Moxley, wants to reach that level they have got to have that range that allows them to position elements of their character that make them feel more interesting.”

Jon Moxley is scheduled to face off against Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship. The two clash on February 29th at AEW’s next pay-per-view, Revolution. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

Recently on the Jericho Cruise, several former members of the New World Order took part in a panel discussion. During the conversation, the topic of what NWO members should be included in the WWE Hall of Fame induction was brought up. The sentiment amongst the panel was that Eric Bischoff should be one of the members going into the Hall of Fame in Tampa Bay before WrestleMania this year.

“You know how things operate up there, it’s not about what you produced or ticket sales,” Hall said when asked what NWO members should be going in. “I certainly think, I would start with Eric (Bischoff).”

Jericho then chimed in on the topic as well.

“I agree times a thousand,” Jericho said. “I think the reason why (Bischoff’s) probably not going in is there’s still the residual heat.”

“Who knows? I don’t think about it too much,” Bischoff himself mentioned.

Hall then joked that Bischoff only thinks about it every time he does his podcast.

The episode of Talk is Jericho can be found here.

Others Comment On Eric Bischoff’s Omission From Hall of Fame Induction

• X-Pac Comments On Eric Bischoff Not Being Included In NWO Hall of Fame Induction

“I think it’s crazy, I’m bummed out that Eric Bischoff is not in on this. I feel bad for that, I actually feel bad about that. It goes without saying,” Waltman said about Bischoff not being included.

Bischoff would later react to Waltman’s comments.

“That’s nice of him to say, but he’s not calling the shots, so it really doesn’t matter. I wish he was. That’d be great. I’d like to hang out with my buddies at WrestleMania, that’d be wonderful, but I don’t worry about that. I knew as soon as I saw that, I go, ‘Oh my gosh, my Twitter feed is going to be overloaded with comments about this, I’m going to be dealing with it now for weeks.’ But I love those guys. Those four guys, especially Hulk, these are guys that I have deep affection for, and respect for, so I couldn’t be happier.”

• Eric Bischoff Reacts To NWO Hall of Fame Induction

In the summer of 1996, there was no bigger angle in wrestling than the NWO teasing they would reveal their 3rd member at Bash at the Beach. Hulk Hogan would famously turn heel and align with Hall and Nash.

In the years since the famous angle, numerous reports have come out about other wrestlers who were considered for the role. Bischoff addressed those rumors on a recent edition of his podcast. According to Bischoff, no names other than Hogan and Sting were ever discussed.

Eric Bischoff on Bret Hart & Others Being The NWO’s 3rd Man

“Bret Hart was never a syllable in any statement that was in any part of any conversation as an option,” Bischoff said. “Never happened. Put that one to bed. Had I talked to Bret? I don’t think at that point I’d talked to Bret, I think I met Bret after that for the very first time.”

“To me, it was always going to be the 3 that I chose,” Bischoff continued. “And Sting was going to be the guy that was going to turn because I wasn’t sure about Hulk.”

“I wasn’t looking for anyone outside that equation.”

Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Starrcade 93 was arguably one of the more memorable shows in the event’s history. The main event of the card was Ric Flair challenging Big Van Vader for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Flair’s career was on the line in the match as well.

Flair vs Vader was not supposed to be the main event, however. The match between the two was only booked after Sid Vicious was fired from the promotion stemming from his infamous backstage fight with Arn Anderson. Vader was originally supposed to defend his title against Sid in the main event of Starrcade that year.

Bischoff stressed that while he was in WCW at the time, he was not yet running creative. He offered some insight as to why Flair was chosen to replace Sid, however.

“(Flair) was always the go-to guy. If plan A doesn’t work, plan B will,” Bischoff said. “While Ric Flair was often Plan A and for many, many years throughout WCW’s existence, Ric was always the Plan A guy because he drew money and he drew ratings and everyone knew it.”

Bischoff would continue to say, however, that in this case, Flair was Plan B.

“When the building is starting to burn and you can’t put it out with the kitchen sink, what do you do? You break the glass, pull the fire alarm and in comes Ric Flair.”

Bischoff would then say Flair as Plan B, in this case, worked out quite well.

“Plan B worked out phenomenally well. Probably, possibly, not even possibly, quite likely worked out to be much better than Plan A.”

Bischoff’s comments about Starrcade 93 can be heard in the player below:

In numerous books and podcasts covering World Championship Wrestling, much has been made about Eric Bischoff’s deal to bring Master P into the company. The famous rapper was involved in a storyline along with his No Limit Soldiers against the West Texas Rednecks in 1999.

Bischoff himself recently commented on Master P’s deal with WCW on a recent episode as his 83 weeks podcast. The 83 Weeks YouTube channel released two videos on the subject today.

“His presence on MTV was another reason why by 1999 we were pretty interested in him,” Bischoff said regarding Master P’s mainstream credibility at the time.

“Master P had a very, very large and important audience. A much younger audience than WCW had that was in a silo. That was a demographic that may or may not have paid attention to WCW without integrating somebody like Master P into a storyline.”

“There was a lot of good reasons to do it,” he continued. “I take exception to the fact that wrestling fans consider this kind of a joke move.”

Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Eric Bischoff On What Led To Master P Leaving WCW

Bischoff also refuted reports that happened at the time that Master P left WCW due to a deteriorating relationship with WCW management.

“Master P was never a long-term deal,” Bischoff said on the show. “It was a short-term program as was Dennis Rodman. Dennis Rodman was never going to be a long term player.”

Those comments were released in a separate YouTube video:

Speaking on After 83 Weeks, former President of WCW Eric Bischoff spoke openly about the current pro wrestling market. Bischoff was honest in his assessment, alluding to an oversaturated product that currently struggles to stand out from one another. He noted how the current climate creates a difficult balance in creating compelling content without overexposing talent.

“One of the big challenges now is that there’s so much content out there. WWE’s got three hours on Monday night, SmackDown, two hours of broadcast on Friday night,” Bischoff said. “AEW’s got two hours on Wednesday night. NXT’s got two hours on Wednesday nights. My God, there’s so much content available.” 

“You know, there’s a finite number of wrestling fans,” he explained. “The pool of wrestling fans out there in the audience is only so big and they’re being drenched with content and great content, by the way, not bad content. Great content. And I think there’s a point where you’re giving it away. You’re producing so much content out there that it’s hard to create great content. And that’s the key is when you put on a show, whether it’s a pay-per-view, whether it’s Monday Night Raw, whether it’s SmackDown, whether it’s Dynamite, whatever it is, NXT, it’s got to be compelling content.

“And when you start just putting out more and more and more, that’s really hard to do. There’s a limit to how much really special great content that you can create [and] not overexpose your talent. And that’s another big issue.”

Eric Bischoff’s Take

Bischoff pointed to the low ratings RAW received near the end of 2019. He speculated about what could be behind them: the talent, the writing team or the overall presentation. “Or perhaps it’s the fact that there’s so much content out there that none of it feels special anymore.” 

He acknowledged how “challenging” the current marketplace is. Bischoff explained how if a fan missed an event on Monday, they don’t need to worry as there’ll be great stuff on Wednesday. If they miss Wednesday, it’s only a few days until Friday. And, if a fan manages to miss it all, the majority of the key moments from the shows will be available in bite-sized YouTube clips.

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription.

The January 15th, 2020 edition of AEW Dynamite is being branded as “Bash at the Beach.” The show from Miami has borrowed its name from a WCW PPV that ran from 1994 to 2000.

Former WCW President Eric Bischoff recently addressed AEW’s use of the Bash at the Beach name on a recent edition of his podcast.

“My first reaction was ‘that’s great!’ because it’s such a great, you know, it’s got such great history,” Bischoff said. “It’s a legacy within the wrestling community. When you say Bash at the Beach everyone knows what that is. Hulk Hogan turning heel – Bash at the Beach. So many things happened at Bash at the Beach. It was one of WCW’s tentpole PPVs and there was a lot of brand equity in that PPV brand. I was excited that somebody had the foresight to say ‘hey, this is available, take that!'”

Bischoff would continue to say that AEW needs to be its own brand, however.

“As long as they are doing enough other things to differentiate themselves, to truly present something that the audience recognizes as a real alternative and not kind of, sort of an alternative.”

“I would caution them to not do too many WCW legacy PPVs,” Bischoff continued.

He would continue to talk about how AEW does a great job of providing unique interviews and promos.

“They need to create their own unique, really cool branded events,” he continued.

Bischoff’s comments on AEW using the Bash at the Beach name can be heard in the player below:

Eric Bischoff recently addressed his relationship with Jeff Jarrett on an episode of “After 83 Weeks” the supplemental program to his “83 Weeks” podcast. During the show, Bischoff clarified that while he and Jarrett have since patched things up, the relationship between the two was once strained.

“We were never tight, we never clicked and that happens,” Bischoff said on the show.

“Jeff Jarrett and I for the longest period of time we’re kind of the square peg and the round hole but in TNA I think, towards the end especially, we started working more closely together and we’re fine now,” he continued.

Bischoff’s comments about Jarrett can be viewed in the player below:

Eric Bischoff On Jeff Jarrett in WCW and With The 4 Horsemen

On an episode of 83 Weeks from this October, Bischoff had the following to say on his hiring of Jeff Jarrett the brief association Jarrett had with the 4 Horsemen.

“His character wasn’t, in my opinion, the strongest. But in terms of being able to deliver a great match. And not only deliver a great match, but have a great match with a variety of different styles and sizes of talent, and experience levels. Jeff was one of the best. So he was a great addition to the roster.”

Bischoff continued to talk about why the fans never accepted Jarrett as a Horsemen and why his inclusion in the group was never made official.

“Jeff came out in that white Spandex Chippendales kind of gimmick with the long, flowing blond hair. He just didn’t have that look of a Horseman. And I don’t think the audience ever recognized him as someone who could be a part of that original group with that credibility.”

• Eric Bischoff Comments On Bret Hart In WCW

Bret Hart signed with WCW in late 1997 and debuted on Nitro that December. Hart’s time in the company is poorly reviewed by many and Hart himself has criticized WCW for not doing more with him during his time there.

Eric Bischoff addressed Hart’s WCW run on an edition of his “83 Weeks” podcast.

“Bret was probably more affected by what happened in Montreal than a lot of people felt he should have been,” Bischoff said on the show. “It was a horrible thing, it was a bad thing, completely horrible situation and all that but once it’s over, it’s over. You’ve got to kind of move on and look for something positive to do next and Bret had a hard time letting that go. He was carrying that around with him and it was pretty obvious in a lot of conversations that we had.”

Bischoff would also say that him and Bret had a lot in common outside of wrestling during this time and their conversations were often about things outside the business.

Conrad and Bischoff then watch Bret being interviewed by Gene Okerlund on an episode of Nitro during the podcast. Bischoff’s comments about Bret Hart’s time in WCW can be viewed in the player below:

Eric Bischoff recently answered several questions regarding his career on an episode of his “83 Weeks” podcast. One question Bischoff addressed was regarding the Aces and Eights storyline in TNA Wrestling from 2012-13.

“That idea was all mine,” Bischoff said regarding the angle. “Everybody contributed, the talent contributed, you know once you launch something like that, you start laying things out, talking about dialogue, everybody’s got an opinion. Bully certainly did, Ken Anderson did quite a bit, a lot of people did.”

“Unfortunately, TNA was semi-dysfunctional at that point but if you go back and break that storyline down and follow the arc of that storyline and what we did do to pay it off, that’s a pretty good storyline.”

Bischoff then spoke about Bully Ray’s opinion of the Aces and Eights storyline from TNA.

“I think if you talk to Bully at any point and ask him how he felt about that storyline given all the things that he’s been through either in ECW or WWE, I think he puts that Aces and Eights storyline right at the top of the list in terms of the quality of the story and the way it was executed, I’m very proud of it.”

Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Former President of WCW and Executive Producer of SmackDown on FOX Eric Bischoff recently spoke to the WrestlingINC podcast. ‘Easy E’ had some interesting comments regarding his former employers (WWE) as well as the importance of the nWo stable.

“The NWO angle changed the wrestling industry…” – Eric Bischoff

“I’m not objective, but I also think it’s fair for any reasonable person to say… the NWO angle changed the wrestling industry more than anything that’s happened since the first WrestleMania,” stated Eric Bischoff. “To suggest otherwise I think is being foolish. Had there not been the nWo, there wouldn’t have been the [Monday Night] Wars and there would have not been an Attitude Era. Had not any of the above happened, I doubt WWE would have been able to become a public company.”

“It really comes down to the Monday Night Wars…”

Eric Bischoff elaborated further, saying “who knows where the wrestling business would be had there not been the NWO? Had it not been for the NWO, we wouldn’t be seeing the success that we’re seeing across the board today. It really comes down to the Monday Night Wars as they rose the genre to its peak in terms of mainstream awareness and buy-in. Had it not been for that period of time, we wouldn’t be watching what we’re watching today.”

“I was surprised…” – Eric Bischoff

The former WCW President then discussed if he had been contacted regarding the nWo induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. Inductee Sean ‘X-Pac’ Waltman recently stated that he believed that both Bischoff and The Giant/Big Show should be included in the induction come WrestleMania weekend. “No. I was surprised they announced it this early as they usually announce it a little later in the year” said Bischoff. “But no, I haven’t spoken to anybody. I didn’t even know it until I read it online the next day,” revealed Bischoff.

The New World Order faction is set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame next year. While the angle is considered by many to be one of the greatest of all-time, critics argue WCW focused too much on the angle and dragged it out too long. Eric Bischoff recently addressed if he focused too much on NWO storylines near the end of 1998 on a recent edition of his 83 Weeks podcast with Conrad Thompson.

“Look in retrospect, it’s easy to have 20/20 hindsight,” Bischoff said on the show.

“NWO was so hot, we were trying to keep it fresh. We were trying to find ways to keep it fresh. We had played out the black and white, I think to the extent that we possibly could have, as long as we possibly could have.”

“I think it was time. In order to create story, we had to create dissension.”

“I’m comfortable with the decision we made even looking bad at it now.”

Highlights of Bischoff’s discussion on the subject can be heard using the player below:

• Eric Bischoff Reacts To NWO Hall of Fame Induction

Bischoff recently reacted to the NWO Hall of Fame announcement.

“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.