WWE and WCW Legend: Eric Bischoff

During professional wrestling?s illustrious history, there was a pastiche of wrestling organizations around the world. However, only one company was to be the salient organization of the wrestling world, the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWE).

The early-1990's was a downward spiral for the realm of professional wrestling. Hulk Hogan proverbially passed the torch to the Ultimate Warrior; however, the Ultimate Warrior?s reign as the WWE?s representative was lethargic compared to Hogan?s representation to the WWE. Buy rates? were going down; fans weren?t watching anymore; and it seemed that even Hulk Hogan wasn?t attracting an audience.

On the other side of the wrestling world was World Championship Wrestling (WCW), a wrestling company owned by television tycoon, Ted Turner. During the early 90's, WCW was booked by the ascetic Bill Watts. Bill was a guy that a wrestler either loved or hated. Bill Watts was ?old school? and with it came the ?old school? atmosphere to WCW. Bill Watts literally banned wrestlers from throwing their opponents over the top rope; he would literally disqualify someone if they did.

Fans did not embrace the ideas of Bill Watts, and because Bill Watts was too austere for WCW to succeed let alone compete with the likes of the WWE, Bill was ousted, which would engender the influx of Eric Bischoff as executive producer of WCW.

Eric Bischoff wasn?t a diffident kind of guy, he knew exactly what was wrong with WCW, and knew what to do to aggrandized the popularity of WCW. However, just like Vince McMahon, Bischoff may have been ambitious, but he ran into a lot of problems. At the time Bischoff wasn?t in control of creativity, instead Dusty Rhodes and Ole Anderson were. Storylines were concise and elevated no build-up whatsoever; feuds were pointless; and characters were as cartoonish as the WWE?s characters were. There was even a point when a wrestler by the name of Shockmaster was supposed to have literally crashed through a fractured wall to show his so-called awesome persona; however, as Shockmaster would crash through the wall he would also plummet to the ground landing flat on his face on live television. Talk about a natural disaster.

Bischoff wouldn?t be denied as he sought the help of Hulk Hogan. At the time, Bischoff had asserted WCW into the Disney MGM Studio?s in Orlando, Florida. During that time, the biggest names WCW had were Sting and Ric Flair, and it was obvious to Bischoff that he needed more big names and what bigger name to acquire than the quintessence of what professional wrestling was during the 1980's.

Hulk Hogan signed with WCW, and much like Freddy vs. Jason, a Hogan vs. Flair match would fulminate high buy rates with WCW; reaching new heights in pay-per-view status. While it seemed that things were looking up for WCW, the dream feud between Flair and Hogan would come in an abrupt end; however, Bischoff wasn?t done, in fact he was just getting warmed up.

In a meeting with Ted Turner and the executives of Turner Broadcasting, Eric Bischoff prompted for a prime time slot to compete with WWE. It was obvious to Bischoff that the revenue was growing in WCW, and it was time for WCW to make a profit. Turner agreed and gave Bischoff 2 hours on Monday night on Turner Network Television (TNT). The show would be called, ?WCW Monday Nitro,? which had a nice ring to it considering the station Nitro was on was TNT.

WCW Monday Nitro was headlined by Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, Lex Luger, Randy Savage, and the Giant (Big Show). Nitro would go head to head with WWE?s Monday Night Raw; however, while ratings were strong on Nitro, WWE was indomitable to Nitro. Bischoff had to think of new ways to compete with WWE, and some of the tactics he would use would be unethical, but effective nonetheless.

One of Bischoff?s most infamous tactics was literally giving away WWE?s results three minutes before RAW went on the air, because RAW would be taped and since the internet wasn?t mainstream for fans to be ?spoiled? by the results, Bischoff would retrieve the results from either focus groups, fans, or associates of Bischoff, and give away the results to attract fans to watch Nitro which was live and unpredictable.

Bischoff also acquired something that made WCW Nitro more apt to watch than WWE, actual wrestling. Vince McMahon?s WWE was and still is more appealing to ?sports-entertainment? than actual professional wrestling. Fans to this day despise the idea of sports-entertainment when wrestling is what fans really want. Bischoff was aware of this, and thus Bischoff went ?shopping? again for new talent.

In ECW, Paul Heyman acquired a lot of lucha libra wrestlers such as Rey Mysterio, Jr, Juventud Guerrera, and Psychosis, as well as proficient wrestlers such as Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Jericho. Bischoff would realize the talent that ECW had and acquired the wrestlers for his roster. Despite the querulous tirade Heyman goes on about Eric Bischoff, he can?t claim that Bischoff ?stole? ECW?s talent, because Heyman didn?t retrieve the VISA for Benoit to wrestle in the United States; therefore, Benoit couldn?t come back to ECW, and Heyman didn?t have the funds and revenue to keep talent in ECW from going to WWE or WCW. If Heyman should blame anyone, he should blame the talent for leaving ECW to WCW or the WWE, not Bischoff, and even then he couldn?t blame the talent, because it would be stupid not to sign with WCW or WWE.

Bischoff pioneered the engendering of monthly pay-per-views. In the WWE there was known as ?the big four,? which was the Royal Rumble in January, Wrestlemania in March or April, SummerSlam in August, and Survivor Series in November. Bischoff would move the number of pay-per-view's to 7 a year, and with it WWE followed suit, then Bischoff would move it to 10, and WWE would follow suit, and finally Bischoff would do a pay-per-view once a month. To this day, WWE, and TNA have used Bischoff?s once a month pay-per-view idea and it has become a wrestling tradition to have one pay-per-view a month.

At the time, WWE was still going strong, despite there was times Nitro defeated RAW in the ratings. It was evident that WCW was a strong opposition toward WWE, but Bischoff knew that fans weren?t accepting WCW fully, especially Hulk Hogan.

Fans seem to suffer from ennui when Hulk Hogan kept winning in WCW and still playing the ?say your prayers? gimmick, especially after the Vince McMahon steroid scandal in which Hulk Hogan publically admitted that he did steroids. Hogan?s popularity was growing tiresome to the fans, and after a while Hulk Hogan seemed to have left WCW, and what?s odd is nobody cared.

Bischoff went ?shopping? once again for new talent, and he acquired two stars that were red-hot in the WWE, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.

Scott Hall was known as Razor Ramon in WWE, and Kevin Nash was known as Diesel, both of them were in their prime and on top of the WWE, and it seemed rather odd that they would both jump from the WWE to WCW abruptly after having a ephemeral run in the WWE.

On May 27, 1996, Scott Hall would make a conspicuous appearance on Nitro. Fans were confused as to why Hall was there. Most fans thought that Hall was jumping ship and being a new character in WCW; however, Bischoff would lay the groundwork for what would be one of the biggest coups and one of the best ideas in professional wrestling history. Scott Hall would confront Bischoff that a ?war? was brewing between ?WWE? and WCW. Hall would be besmirched by Sting which would fulminate the feud even more. Hall would claim that he had a ?big? surprise in store for WCW, that surprise turned out to be Kevin Nash aka Diesel; however, the biggest surprise was yet to come.

Bischoff?s idea for Hall and Nash was they were ?outsiders from WWE? looking to take over WCW. Fans loved the story and it kept WCW on top of the wrestling world as far as storylines. WCW used more kayfabe, which is jargon for real life situations as opposed to storylines, than what WWE did. The one element that Bischoff produced was not insulting the fans? intelligence, which is what WWE was doing at that time, and still does quite frankly.

WCW?s biggest star was still Hulk Hogan, but fans disdained him, they were sick and tired of the red and yellow. At Bash at the Beach, a pay-per-view orchestrated by the WCW, it was to be a six-man tag team match between Hall, Nash, and a mystery partner against Sting, Lex Luger, and Randy Savage. Many fans speculated who would be the infamous ?third man.? A lot of fans were thinking it would be the Undertaker, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and even Owen Hart; however, it would be Hulk Hogan, a man who had been a babyface for more than 10 years was now a heel. It was unprecedented to see Hulk Hogan tell the fans to ?stick it, brother!? However, paradoxically as it was, Hulk Hogan?s popularity would rise again as the resurrection of Hogan?s career was the cause of Eric Bischoff?s idea to turn him heel and join Hall and Nash in forming the nWo.

WCW?s popularity grew so fast, that Bischoff couldn?t contain the pressure of it. Many wrestlers speculated that Bischoff was hard to handle, and rumors spread like wildfire about Bischoff and the nWo. Rumors such as Bischoff giving special treatment to those only affiliated with the nWo; Bischoff appeasing Hogan?s ego by having Hogan defeat old adversaries such as the Ultimate Warrior; and, probably the most ridiculous of all, that Hogan and Bischoff were actually lovers.

Bischoff was intelligent enough to realize that in order for WCW to burgeon into a status equivalent to WWE, he had to obtain not only Hulk Hogan, but other stars like Randy Savage, Lex Luger, Mean Gene Okerlund, and Bobby Hennan. However, the WWE would pounce on Bischoff acquiring ?old? talent that already had established a run in WWE with a segment called the ?Billonaire Ted? vignettes. These vignettes were to convince the audience that a younger, smarter, and stronger talent was far more superior to the likes of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage.

Much to Vince?s chagrin, the Billionaire Ted skits were a case of bad comedy and in turn Bischoff was more amused then hurt. What is interesting to note is, McMahon claims in the ?Monday Night Wars? DVD that he and the WWE weren?t paying attention to what WCW was doing; however, that is not true, because there were skits of the ?Huckster? (Hulk Hogan) being hit and knocked out by a high-heel shoe, which was an angle done by Ric Flair and the late Miss Elizabeth. Another skit was done during Wrestlemania XII in which the ?Huskster? was handcuffed in front of a turnbuckle, which was also done by the angle of Hogan and Flair. It was obvious that Vince McMahon was paying close attention to what WCW and Eric Bischoff was doing despite what Vince says.

In fact, Vince would use one of Bischoff?s ideas to jump-start the WWE to new heights. Bischoff joining the nWo would be a catalyst for what would become the somber WWE chairman character of Mr. McMahon. A lot of critics and fans gainsay the fact that Bischoff, being the general manager for WCW and being a heel that was making everyone who worked for the WCW?s life a living hell, was an idea that Vince McMahon made into his own by being ?Mr. McMahon," but you can argue that it was.

As the nWo and WCW was growing, Eric Bischoff did what no other promoter had done before, he defied Vince McMahon?s WWE and with it he defeated the WWE in the ratings for 82 weeks in a row. However, Eric Bischoff?s persona was much like Al Pacino?s character ?Michael Coleon? from the Godfather movies, eventually the empire will come crashing down.

Bischoff?s power grew so much that he became hubris and callowest at the same time, eventually WWE would finally defeat WCW in the ratings and to no surprise it was an auspice of all omens, because it was the first confrontation between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon that would abridge WCW?s reign.

Eric Bischoff would lose to WWE for a number of weeks; however, Bischoff would continue the onslaught against WWE. Bischoff introduced Bill Goldberg as the flagship of WCW. Goldberg was a juggernaut of devastation in WCW; a lot of fans loved him because his matches were simplistic yet entertaining. However, a lot of fans believed Goldberg was nothing but hype.

Hollywood Hogan was the champion at the time, and Goldberg was the ?next big thing? in wrestling; therefore, a confrontation between the two would push a rating?s win as a sell out Georgia Dome would witness the turning of the tide as WCW had acquired the coveted World Championship belt from the ominous clutches of the nWo. It seemed tradition defied the officious gang known as the New World Order of wrestling.

However, WCW would still be in turmoil as great talent such as the late Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit would be sent to the back-burner while stars like Hogan, Nash, and Goldberg were being spotlighted and having all the pushes in WCW. This was a huge mistake by Bischoff and prompted WCW to fall even further in the ratings war with WWE.

Eventually, fans weren?t buying into WCW, because at that time WWE was pushing new talent like Edge, Christian, Steve Austin, the Rock, Triple H, and the Hardy Boys. WCW, however, was still pushing the older stars in which fans felt that they had already established their run and it was time for them to let the younger talent have their day in the sun.

WCW?s value to the wrestling fans was tarnished, and the board of directors at Turner Broadcasting realized it; therefore, a representative of Ted Turner, Harvey Schiller, fired Eric Bischoff. Unfortunately, what the representatives at Turner Broadcasting didn?t realize was firing Bischoff would only turgid the implosion of WCW even more.

Bischoff was replaced by former WWE writers Vince Russo and Ed Ferrera, two former writers for the WWE which both have claimed to have been the ?brains? behind the Attitude era. One of the things that Russo and Ferrera did that Bischoff should have done a long time ago was give the younger guys a crack at being WCW World Champion; however, what Russo and Ferrera didn?t do right was not push the young talent at a steady pace in which fans could keep up with who was the champion; not to mention having ridiculous ideas such as Russo coming out in a Pope-mobile; Ferrera lampooning Jim Ross, and having David Arquette winning the World Title as well as Vince Russo winning the belt at one point. Of course the only funny lampoon Ferrera ever did was Pinata on a pole match. Pinata! Pinata! Pinata!

Turner Broadcasting eventually felt that professional wrestling wasn?t up-scale enough for it?s audience; therefore, rumors were spreading that WCW was to close and be up for sell. Bischoff made an attempt with a retinue of his colleagues to make an offer to buy WCW; however, Turner made it clear that they would not air WCW on any of his stations. WCW was worthless to Bischoff and Vince McMahon would instead buy the company.

After WCW was finally acquired by Vince McMahon, fans wondered what was to become of Eric Bischoff? The last time fans saw Eric Bischoff he had grey hair, and his face was pasty, it wasn?t the same hubris Eric Bischoff that fans recognized. Rumors still spread about Bischoff even after WCW was extinct; the biggest rumor was that he was having an affair with Kimberly Page, Diamond Dallas Page?s wife at the time.

In 2001, WWE made a very bad attempt to have the dream feud every fan of wrestling has wanted to see, WCW vs. WWE. However, fans were hoping to see a Goldberg vs. Austin, or a Sting vs. Shawn Michaels; however, they witnessed Steve Austin joining WCW, despite that he had disdainful thoughts of WCW, and DDP vs. the Undertaker.

In 2002, Vince McMahon would shock the wrestling world by hiring a General Manager for RAW, and Eric Bischoff was that man to run RAW. Immediately, fans, wrestlers, and associates of WWE thought that McMahon was crazy for bringing in the man that wanted McMahon?s business to go under to be the one to run RAW. However, it seemed Vince McMahon knew what he had in store for Eric Bischoff all along.

During Bischoff?s reign as RAW?s General Manager, Bischoff would be the proverbial punching bag of Vince McMahon. Bischoff would no longer be the untouchable figurehead that ran with the nWo, instead he would be stunned by Steve Austin, beaten up by pretty much the whole roster, besmirched by the McMahon?s, having Paul Heyman trash talk Bischoff, having his head shaved by Eugene, and pretty much thrown in a garbage truck as if it was brusque euphemism for what Vince McMahon thought of Bischoff. However, what Vince McMahon didn?t realize was fans of wrestling hated McMahon and the WWE for how they were making Bischoff out to be.

Fans were aware that it was storylines; however, it seemed that Bischoff was the ultimate travesty or pejorative to waylay on, and this would anger fans into joining the Eric Bischoff?s bandwagon.

Eventually, Bischoff would be ?fired? as RAW GM and to this day he is still going strong in the wrestling world despite that he is not currently in it. Once again, rumors spread that Bischoff would be a part of the new ECW ppv or be a part of the fledgling ECW brand of sports-entertainment or wrestling however you want to look at it. It seems that fans want Eric Bischoff back, but the question remains, will he?

Bischoff may have done some outlandish, unethical things, but you can?t deny what he?s done in the realm of professional wrestling.

Bischoff distended the pay-per-view status in wrestling; he introduced the gimmick of a heel running the company, literally; and caused an influx of one of the greatest stables since the Four Horsemen, and at the same time resurrected the tiresome career of Hulk Hogan.

Bischoff is easily one of the pioneers that made professional wrestling an interesting spectacle to watch, and despite that his ?baby? (WCW) was destroyed, he can honestly say that he was close to being the David of professional wrestling, he almost dominated the wrestling world when the WWE was still up and running, that is an accolade that is indelible and something Bischoff should be proud of.

I?m sure critics and even fans will pan this article, but even so you can?t deny what Bischoff did, it may not have been pretty, but to him it was strictly business, and he was good at doing business.