In the 2002 WWE ‘marriage’ event of Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo, Eric Bischoff was seamlessly disguised, thanks to an elaborate operation undertaken by WWE. Billy and Chuck were set to be married before revealing their homosexuality to be a hoax for publicity.
The plot became more intriguing when the clergyman unveiled himself as Bischoff. He had masterminded an assault on the SmackDown duo Billy and Chuck by RAW’s ‘3-Minute Warning’.
In his recent “83 Weeks” podcast, Bischoff expressed how a significant sum was spent on prosthetics and makeup to keep his presence a secret. Bischoff shared,
“The corporation went all out on…prosthetics and other stuff. It had to shell out ,000 for that. They flew in two makeup artists from LA for three days to apply and remove the makeup. The cost was overwhelming. Around a month ahead of time, I had to fly to LA to be fitted for the mask. It was bigger [than usual], and I didn’t want to be the one to ruin it.
“Brian Gewirtz scripted the scene, which was brilliant, a truly fantastic scene, and I was collaborating with a host of incredibly talented folks. Like, really gifted people. So from an actor’s perspective, it was such a thrilling segment to do, and the return was immense. That will forever be my favorite.”
As part of the same plot, Rico (the mastermind behind the publicity ploy) transformed into a villain and joined the ‘3-Minute Warning’ on RAW.
Nevertheless, Bischoff’s wrongdoing was avenged following weeks when he was subjected to a ‘stinkface’ by Rikishi, who had previously disguised himself as an overweight woman in a RAW segment.