On a recent edition of his “83 Weeks” podcast, Eric Bischoff discussed his rise as Executive Producer in WCW in 1993, how he landed the role, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On the belief that he got the gig because he “was a wrestling guy” who billed himself as a non-wrestling guy: “Why Jim Ross would say [in his book that Bischoff was] a wrestling guy is beyond me. Because I was an outsider when I came into the AWA, because I had never put on a pair of boots. But I wasn’t hired to be involved in wrestling. I was hired to syndicate the show and create sponsorship opportunities. That is not a wrestling guy. That is the opposite of a wrestling guy, right? Vern wasn’t going to send Buck Zumhofe out to a meeting with the Heileman Brewing Company to try to get sponsorship for their Schmidt Beer brand. Or anybody else on his roster including Greg, because they didn’t have experience in sales and marketing and didn’t speak the language. Just like people from outside of wrestling can’t just jump into the wrestling world because, culturally it’s different; they don’t speak the language and they don’t quite understand it. But I was outside the wrestling guy world while working at AWA. I had no previous professional wrestling experience. Zero. And I was hired for business reasons. And I brought that with me to WCW. I became an announcer just by coincidence in default. That’s not why Verne hired me originally, I just happened to be the only guy with a tie that day when he needed an announcer and threw me into the lion’s den. And I survived eventually. But I don’t know why Jim — I think there was at that time, not now, but I think there might still have been a little bit of resentment because the implication there is I conned Turner. That I went in, that I was really a wrestling guy, but somehow I convinced them that I wasn’t. Not true at all. And maybe I’m reading too much into it, but that’s the inference or the implication in what Jim said. I got the job because Bill Shaw asked me specifically, ‘What would you do differently with WCW that hasn’t been done before?’ ‘Well, Bill, I’m glad you asked that question. Let me show you.’ And I literally pulled out, I had a big art . Because I had a series of poster boards that I had used to sell a kids live-action game show to Fox Studios back in that period of time. This all happened right around this — it happened before this meeting with Bill Shaw, where I had made up my mind that I was going to leave. Had an idea for a kids action show. Think of it, it was like American gladiators for kids. But they had professional wrestlers, as coaches. That was essentially the idea. But I’d spent a lot of money and time creating the artwork, I had some professional art design people do it, and graphics people do it. And I used that artwork to pitch the show to Fox that was going to be my ticket out of WCW. And by the way, Fox bought the show, committed to the show.
“But I knew if I was going in for this interview with Bill, I had to establish that I was bringing something to the table other than ‘I think we should have better-looking costumes. And I think we should, you know, maybe light the arena better.’ I needed to have more than that. And I was fortunate, and Bill asked me the question. ‘What would you do differently that hasn’t been done before?’ And I pulled out the pitch I had used probably six weeks before to sell a show to Fox. A woman named Molly Miles, who went on to be a VP at Universal Studios in Florida. I pulled this out and I pitched it to him. That’s what got me the job, because I was thinking differently and outside of the traditional wrestling box. I was thinking differently than anybody else who was applying for that job. Because what they were doing was trying to improve on things that already existed. I came in and said, ‘No, no, no, no. If we want to grow this audience’ — that’s why I talk so much about growing the audience. ‘If we want to grow the audience for WCW, we have to be able to preach outside of the choir. We have to bring people in who aren’t currently fans. How do you do that? We create a show that’s targeted for that teen and pre-teen audience that doesn’t exist in WCW.’ And that’s where I think Bill made up his mind that as long as I didn’t shit the bed during the rest of the interviews, because there were 2 or 3 of them that took place. As long as I didn’t say anything too stupid, I think that was probably the thing that put me over the top. But that had nothing to do with being a wrestling guy. In fact, it was exactly the opposite.”
On what prepared him for the role: “I spent hours talking to Keith Mitchell, hours every week about what he thinks WCW needed to do differently. And this was long before I knew there would ever be an opportunity for me to become an executive producer. This was just the course of our conversations. And I learned a lot about production in WCW because of those hours of conversation. So I had a feel for the production side of things. And there were some very talented people were there, Keith being one of the most talented in what he did, I learned a lot about Kemper Rogers. I learned a lot about Craig Leathers. I learned a lot about Jackie Crockett. I learned a lot about the critical components of WCW production and the people in it, because I didn’t threaten anybody’s job, and people were open and honest. So it was easy for me to once I was sitting down with Bill, and Bill would say, ‘Well, how would you restructure production?’ ‘Let me tell you how I would do it.’ Not because I was the smartest f**ker in the world, but because I had an opportunity to have hours and hours and hours and hours of conversations over the course of a year and a half or two years with the people that were in those spots. I heard them talk about the weaknesses in the post-production side of things, why those weaknesses existed, how to overcome those weaknesses, and who would be best to help overcome those weaknesses. So like, I’ve been doing a year and a half or two years with the research on this subject, doing two and a half or two years worth of research on this subject without even knowing I was doing research. So when the subject came up, I asked, ‘How would you restructure production, for example? Let me tell you how I’d do that.’
You can keep up with all your wrestling news right here on eWrestlingNews.com. Or, you can follow us over on our Twitter and Facebook pages.
Eric Bischoff is a name that is well-known in the world of professional wrestling. He is often credited with revolutionizing the industry and bringing it into the mainstream during his time as the Executive Producer of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the 1990s. In a recent episode of his podcast, “83 Weeks,” Bischoff discussed his rise to power in WCW and how he landed the role.
Contrary to popular belief, Bischoff did not get the job because he was a “wrestling guy.” In fact, he had no previous professional wrestling experience before joining WCW. He was initially hired by Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association (AWA) to syndicate the show and create sponsorship opportunities. Bischoff’s background was in sales and marketing, not in the wrestling industry.
Bischoff’s journey to becoming the Executive Producer of WCW began when he was asked by Bill Shaw, the President of Turner Broadcasting, what he would do differently with WCW. Bischoff had already prepared a pitch for a kids live-action game show that he planned to sell to Fox Studios as his ticket out of WCW. He showed Shaw the artwork and explained his vision for growing the audience by targeting a younger demographic.
What set Bischoff apart from other candidates was his ability to think outside of the traditional wrestling box. While others were focused on improving existing elements of the product, Bischoff saw the potential in reaching new fans who were not currently interested in wrestling. This fresh perspective and innovative thinking impressed Shaw and ultimately led to Bischoff being hired as the Executive Producer of WCW.
Bischoff’s preparation for the role came from hours of conversations with Keith Mitchell, WCW’s Director of Production, and other talented individuals within the company. These discussions gave him insights into the strengths and weaknesses of WCW’s production and post-production processes. Armed with this knowledge, Bischoff was able to confidently discuss restructuring production when asked by Shaw.
Throughout his tenure as Executive Producer, Bischoff implemented numerous changes that helped WCW become a major player in the wrestling industry. He introduced the concept of the nWo (New World Order), which became one of the most popular and influential storylines in wrestling history. Under his leadership, WCW also secured major television deals and consistently outperformed its competitor, the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), in the ratings.
Eric Bischoff’s rise to power in WCW is a testament to his business acumen and ability to think differently. Despite not being a “wrestling guy,” he was able to make a significant impact on the industry and leave a lasting legacy. His story serves as an inspiration for aspiring professionals in any field, showing that unconventional thinking and a fresh perspective can lead to great success.