History Wrestling / EricBischoff

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Bischoff is the SOB in just about every case, and it can define an entire show after proper build up. Ask a friend what matches were on the 2003 No Way Out card besides Steve Austin vs. Eric Bischoff.

* BrainsAndBrawn: He’s a schemer for sure. Eric Bischoff from ''Halloween Havoc'' '97 to ''Havoc'' '98 rivaled Vince in terms of just oozing heat. He was cowardly and annoying, with good looks and power—but unlike Vince, he was vulnerable and only upright because he was hiding behind Wrestling/HulkHogan. (His in-ring skills definitely left a lot to be desired, though.)

** He has a thing for giant {{Power Stable}}s and motorcycles in general. According to Wrestling/JimCornette, the nWo and the Wrestling/AcesAndEights are enough evidence of this (having lots of wrestlers invoked in angles is still considered nWo-esque), them being the kind of men Eric wishes he was. The entirety of ''Hog Wild''[=/=]''Road Wild'' was wish-fulfillment on Eric's part: He chose the giant Sturgis motorcycle rally as the site for his new pay-per-view, specifically because that is what Bischoff was legitimately into and what he thought was cool.

* ArchnemesisDad: There was a storyline of Garrett Bischoff being a crooked ref-turned-babyface "screw you dad" wrestler. Then he joined the Wrestling/AcesAndEights.

** "...Three Minutes..."
* TheChewToy: His permanent role in WWF, though he did manage to get some dignity back after Eugene shaved his head.

* DarkIsEvil: Eric has a tendency to wear dark jackets or business suits, and has consistently played a cowardly heel who hides behind his lackeys ever since his FaceHeelTurn in 1996.

* InSeriesNickname: "Eazy-E", after the diminutive [[Music/EazyE rap artist.]] Sometimes referred to as "Sleazy-E."

* DemotedToDragon: His time as Raw GM.

** Jericho put it best: WCW had a great undercard in terms of talent, but not-so-great main events. WWE had a so-so undercard, but stellar main events. The cruiserweights were a main reason for this, but towards the latter half of the Monday Night Wars, WWE improved a lot in this area. He wasn't the first promoter ever in the US to give wrestlers that small that big of a platform (Heyman did it first), but Bischoff played a big role. Two weeks before Rey's U.S. debut, Bischoff attended the World Wrestling Peace Festival in '96 and got his first look at Rey, who he had already signed in large part thanks to Konnan. Prior to this, many people were in Bischoff's ear talking down Rey because no one that small had ever been seriously pushed in the US, and some people thought it would make WCW look like a joke. Bischoff saw him wrestle and was so impressed that, when Rey made his debut two weeks later at ''The Great American Bash'', he and Wrestling/DeanMalenko were given nearly 20 minutes. That match was so good that it made the cruiserweights popular with the WCW fanbase and won over everyone in the locker room who was skeptical of Rey's size. Bischoff was the reason the cruiserweight division existed in WCW, and were it not for that division. Eddie, Jericho, Rey, etc. all made their names in that division. WWE probably wouldn't have given them the time of day had they not gone over with the crowd.

* TheDogBitesBack: After being bribed, coerced and bullied by Evolution into giving them shortcuts to championships, stacking matches in their favor and the like, the one time Eric needed them, when he was getting shaved bald by Eugene, and {{Wrestling/Evolution}} didn't even bat an eyelash. Cue Eric telling Wrestling/RicFlair the next night that he can't be depended on anymore, then up and leaving Raw for a month, leaving control of ''Raw'' to the winning team of Team [[Wrestling/TripleH HHH]] vs. Team [[Wrestling/RandyOrton Orton]] at ''Survivor Series'' 2004. The way he booked it, having control rotate between the team members by the week, even a victory by Evolution would have likely caused chaos within the group.

* MassiveMultiplayerScam: Hogan and Bischoff debuted on the January 4 edition of ''Impact'' as business partners of Dixie Carter, but later took control of TNA through chicanery. At first, the pair claimed to differ on how the company should be run, and a proxy war was brewing. This was actually a ploy to throw their opponents off the scent. It was later revealed that Bischoff's and Hogan's pet wrestlers were all united under the Immortal banner. So, in a sense, Hogan learned from past mistakes and came up with his own decoy "Wolfpac". (nWo Wolfpac was a splinter group formed by {{Wrestling/Sting}} to combat nWo Hollywood, which was led by Hogan.)

* FriendlyEnemy: Vince has this warped respect for him because WCW kicked his ass for 84 weeks. Bischoff was treated extremely well at WWE, and is treated more than fairly in the numerous WWE documentaries covering the Monday Night Wars. The interviewees typically blame Hogan, Nash, et. al for the death of WCW, and rarely talk about Bischoff. Even at the height of their rivalry, Vince drew up a series of comedy sketches (Billionaire Ted's Wrasslin' War Room) making fun of Ted Turner, the "Huckster", and the "Nacho Man"... but no Eric in sight.

Opinions on Bischoff within the community are split down the middle. He's the only creator to go toe-to-toe with Wrestling/VinceMcMahon, and for that he is still considered a hero by many.

In June of 2019, Bischoff was brought back into the WWE fold as the new head of creative at ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown Live]],'' most likely to prevent {{Wrestling/AEW}} from hiring him -- same as Wrestling/PaulHeyman. He got paid to move to Connecticut, eat catering, walk around and "observe" for four months. Then he was let go.

He invented modern wrestling. Bischoff is the reason the cruiserweight division existed in WCW, and were it not for that division, Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, Wrestling/ChrisJericho, [[Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr Rey Mysterio]], etc. would not exist in the same capacity. Bischoff set the template for a three-hour wrestling show (standard for {{Wrestling/WWE}} since 2001), with actual competitive matches being shown. He was doing pyro and large indoor sets well before WWE were. The criticism that Bischoff was only successful in using talent that was [[ItsBeenDone built up elsewhere]] is valid, but then WCW used them better than WWE did. [[Wrestling/KevinNash "Diesel's"]] main event run was one of the worst drawing periods for WWE, while ''Kevin Nash's'' main event run was WCW's most profitable year ever.

** Eric is just blessed with one of those faces, the kind you want to speed punch. Even in his announcer days, [[https://i.imgur.com/EI23jM9.jpg he looks very untrustworthy.]]

In June of 2019, Bischoff was brought back into the WWE fold as the new head of creative of ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown Live]],'' most likely to prevent {{Wrestling/AEW}} from hiring him -- same as Wrestling/PaulHeyman. He got paid to move to Connecticut, eat catering, walk around and "observe" for four months. Then he was let go.

* AscendedExtra: Bischoff was [[Wrestling/JimRoss J.R.'s]] lackey, both on-screen and off. Eric being picked for Executive Producer is what led to Ross' resignation, since "Good Ol'" J.R. had been groomed for the position. In 1991, he become Executive Producer (and later Vice President) of WCW before it was bought out by Turner Broadcasting. This gave him a direct line to Ted Turner and a blank check to do with as he pleased — which brings us to ''Nitro''. In the late nineties, he joined the New World Order and became their primary spokesman, though by that point, he kinda had to. For the nWo to be running rampant, it would look silly and ineffectual if he wasn't involved.
-->Ted Turner asked me, ''"Ah, Eric...what have we got to do to compete with WWE?"'' I wasn't prepared for that. ''"Give me prime time."'' I thought it was safe that he wouldn't do it. And Ted looks at me, looks at Scott Sasser, and goes, ''"Scott, give Eric two hours, Monday night, on TNT."''

** He has a thing for giant power stables and motorcycles in general. According to Wrestling/JimCornette, the nWo and the Aces 'n Eights are enough evidence of this (having lots of wrestlers invoked in angles is still considered nWo-esque), them being the kind of men Eric wishes he was. The entirety of ''Hog Wild''[=/=]''Road Wild'' was wish-fulfillment on Eric's part: He chose the giant Sturgis motorcycle rally as the site for his new pay-per-view, specifically because that is what Bischoff was legitimately into and what he thought was cool.

-->'''Bischoff''': ‘When you come out, Eric, I want you to give me a big hug. Let’s embrace.’ Which was kind of odd, because [[AssPull I’d hardly even shaken his hand until this point]]. 'Sure, Vince.’

In June of 2019, Bischoff was brought back into the WWE fold as the new head of creative of ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown Live]],'' most likely to prevent {{Wrestling/AEW}} from hiring him - same as Wrestling/PaulHeyman. He got paid to move to Connecticut, eat catering, walk around and "observe" for four months. Then he was let go.

** Eric Bischoff is responsible for moving WCW to Monday Nights and going live. From 1993-1995, fans were getting tired of the WWF's scripted form of wrestling. To Bischoff, a fan of NFL football, spontaneity was the most important part: ''Nitro'' was meant to have a Monday Night Football feel to it. Like you were watching an actual sporting event. This is also the reason for "Mongo" [=McMichael=]s signing with WCW. He had mainstream name recognition as an ex-Super Bowl champion, a smoking hot wife as a valet/manager, and he was halfway decent on the mic.
** Jericho put it best: WCW had a great undercard in terms of talent, but not-so-great main events. WWE had a so-so undercard, but stellar main events. The cruiserweights were a main reason for this, but towards the latter half of the Monday Night Wars, WWE improved a lot in this area. He wasn't the first promoter ever in the US to give wrestlers that small that big of a platform ([[Wrestling/PaulHeyman Heyman]] did it first), but Bischoff played a big role. Two weeks before Rey's U.S. debut, Bischoff attended the World Wrestling Peace Festival in '96 and got his first look at Rey, who he had already signed in large part thanks to Konnan. Prior to this, many people were in Bischoff's ear talking down Rey because no one that small had ever been seriously pushed in the US, and some people thought it would make WCW look like a joke. Bischoff saw him wrestle and was so impressed that, when Rey made his debut two weeks later at ''The Great American Bash'', he and Wrestling/DeanMalenko were given nearly 20 minutes. That match was so good that it made the cruiserweights popular with the WCW fanbase and won over everyone in the locker room who was skeptical of Rey's size. Bischoff was the reason the cruiserweight division existed in WCW, and were it not for that division. Eddie, Jericho, Rey, etc. all made their names in that division. WWE probably wouldn't have given them the time of day had they not gone over with the crowd.

* BrainsAndBrawn: He’s a schemer for sure. Eric Bischoff from ''Halloween Havok'' '97 to ''Havok'' '98 rivaled Vince in terms of just oozing heat. He was cowardly and annoying, with good looks and power—but unlike Vince, he was vulnerable and only upright because he was hiding behind Wrestling/HulkHogan. (His in-ring skills definitely left a lot to be desired, though.)

** Jericho put it best: WCW had a great undercard in terms of talent, but not-so-great main events. WWE had a so-so undercard, but stellar main events. The cruiserweights were a main reason for this, but towards the latter half of the Monday Night Wars, WWE improved a lot in this area. He wasn't the first promoter ever in the US to give wrestlers that small that big of a platform ([[Wrestling/PaulHeyman Heyman]] did it first), but Bischoff played a big role. Two weeks before Rey's U.S. debut, Bischoff attended the World Wrestling Peace Festival in '96 and got his first look at Rey, who he had already signed in large part thanks to Konnan. Prior to this, many people were in Bischoff's ear talking down Rey because no one that small had ever been seriously pushed in the US, and some people thought it would make WCW look like a joke. Bischoff saw him wrestle and was so impressed that, when Rey made his debut two weeks later at the Great American Bash, he and Wrestling/DeanMalenko were given nearly 20 minutes. That match was so good that it made the cruiserweights popular with the WCW fanbase and won over everyone in the locker room who was skeptical of Rey's size. Bischoff was the reason the cruiserweight division existed in WCW, and were it not for that division. Eddie, Jericho, Rey, etc. all made their names in that division. WWE probably wouldn't have given them the time of day had they not gone over with the crowd.

* BrainsAndBrawn: He’s a schemer for sure. Eric Bischoff from Halloween Havok '97 to Havok '98 rivaled Vince in terms of just oozing heat. He was cowardly and annoying, with good looks and power—but unlike Vince, he was vulnerable and only upright because he was hiding behind Wrestling/HulkHogan. His in-ring skills definitely left a lot to be desired, though.

* YoungerThanTheyLook: He admitted in his book that [[PrematurelyGreyHaired he'd had grey hair since his early 20s]] and dyed it black to look his actual age. Viewers first saw him with the grey hair when he lost a match to Ric Flair for control of WCW, and then had his head shaved. The guy probably would've walked out on ''Raw'' his natural hair color if Vince hadn't told him otherwise. (Even Nash was fine with being a grey-haired veteran on TNA.)

[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6vc0l95H7c#t=90s You little smug shit!]]

** He has a thing for giant power stables and motorcycles in general. According to Wrestling/JimCornette, the nWo and the Aces 'n Eights are enough evidence of this (having lots of wrestlers invoked in angles is still considered nWo-esque), them being the kind of men Eric wishes he was. The entirety of ''Hog Wild''[=/=]''Road Wild'' was wish-fulfillment on Eric's part: He chose the giant Sturgis motorcycle rally as the site for his new pay-per-view, specifically because that is what Bischoff was legitimately into and was what he thought was cool.

In June of 2019, Bischoff was brought back into the WWE fold as the new head of creative (and presumably onscreen GM) of ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown Live]],'' most likely to prevent {{Wrestling/AEW}} from hiring him - same as Wrestling/PaulHeyman.

In June of 2019, Bischoff was brought back into the WWE fold as the new head of creative (and presumably onscreen GM) of ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown Live]].''

* UnderestimatingBadassery: Bischoff thought he could get some easy sex by booking himself into a match with Trish Stratus where she'd get a shot at the Women's Championship if she won but would have to sleep with him if she lost. Trish proceeded to utterly humiliate him with a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown, and only lost due to Bischoff's BigDamnVillains in the form of interference from Victoria and Jazz.

!!Tropes associated with Eric Bischoff include: