There aren’t many who can say that they bested Vince McMahon at his own game and lived to tell the tale, but then again, there aren’t many people like Eric Bischoff. Kicking off his professional wrestling career in the late 1980s as an announcer, he took the alley oop from the late Ted Turner, created a live wrestling program (WCW Monday Nitro) that battled Monday Night Raw head-to-head, besting WWF at its own game for a year and a half. There’d likely be no All Elite Wrestling without the moves Bischoff made during the Monday Night War.
That kind of legacy means Bischoff’s story has been told the world over. From his New York Times bestseller Controversy Creates Cash to his 83 Weeks podcast, we’ve heard so much about Bischoff’s story. What’d don’t you know about the WWE Hall of Famer? Let’s find out. These are 10 things you didn’t know about Eric Bischoff.
Eric Bischoff has had a number of jobs
Before getting into pro wrestling, Bischoff did everything from owning his own construction company and running a butcher shop to acting in training videos and even selling meat out of a delivery van. It’s why, during his infamous nWo speech at Bash at the Beach 1996, Hogan famoulsy said, “if it wasn't for Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff would still be selling meat from a truck in Minneapolis."
Eric Bischoff is a legit karate man
One of Bischoff’s other adventures was in the world of martial arts. For a time, Bischoff’s interested in taekwondo earned him a black belt; he’d even compete in tournaments across America.“
Eric Bischoff’s first on-screen job happened on accident
At the time, Bischoff was working in the sales department of the American Wrestling Association in Minnesota. While he apparently didn’t have any desire to be on-screen, Bischoff, dressed in a suit and tie, was asked to fill in for then-announcer Larry Nelson, who was under arrest for suspicion for DUI.
Eric Bischoff’s first WWF audition was with a broom
That’s right, back in June 1990, during a financial downtime in AWA, Bischoff tried out of an on-air gig with WWF, being handed a broom that he was told to “sell.” (This was standard procedure; legendary WWF announcer Sean Mooney said he had the same test.) He ended up getting an announcing gig with WCW a year later.
Eric Bischoff has only held one pro wrestling championship
With only 24 matches under his belt, Bischoff’s lone championship win—he was WCW Hardcore Champion for one day, defeating Terry Funk. Bischoff didn’t want the title, though, and handed the title to The Mamalukes the next day.
Eric Bischoff holds a win over the Young Bucks
Well, sort of. Back when Matt and Nick Jackson were known as Generation Me, they lost a tag team match to Bischoff and Matt Hardy.
Eric Bischoff almost bought WCW
In January of 2001, Bischoff had formed a group that could have allowed him to take over WCW when there was still a sliver of hope to be had at that point. Once Turner Broadcasting cancelled WCW programming, Bischoff’s plan went up in smoke, as he felt the company wasn’t worth it without television timeslots.
Eric Bischoff has been podcasting for almost a decade
Most know Bischoff from 83 Weeks, his podcast named after the number of weeks WCW beat WWF in the ratings during the Monday Night War, but in July 2016, Bischoff on Wrestling first debuted on MLW Radio. He left that situation in 2017, and returned to the game when 83 Weeks kicked off in 2018.
Eric Bischoff is a fan of Phish
Phish fans move like fans of the Grateful Dead, attending multiple how and collecting recordings from as many gigs as they can. Bischoff is said to be a Phishhead; one has to wonder what his Phish collection looks like.
Eric Bischoff planned to ring in 2000 with a KISS-led pay-per-view
On December 31, 1999, Bischoff had planned for a New Year’s Evil show that would double as both a live KISS concert and a WCW pay-per-view, having fans ring in the new millennium with rock ‘n’ wrestling. Much to his chagrin, Bischoff’s plan wasn’t realized, mostly due to a combination of Y2K hysteria and, frankly, people not wanting to work over the holidays. Not a bad idea, though!
