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.’
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Eric Bischoff, a prominent figure in the world of professional wrestling, recently discussed his rise as Executive Producer in WCW (World Championship Wrestling) in 1993 on his podcast “83 Weeks.” In this podcast, Bischoff shared insights into how he landed the role and the unique perspective he brought to the table.
Contrary to popular belief, Bischoff emphasized that he was not a “wrestling guy” when he first entered the industry. 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 wrestling. He highlighted that he had never put on a pair of wrestling boots and had no previous professional wrestling experience.
Bischoff’s journey into the wrestling world began when he became an announcer for AWA by coincidence. He happened to be the only person with a tie available when Verne Gagne needed an announcer for a day. Despite his lack of wrestling experience, Bischoff survived and eventually made his way to WCW.
The opportunity to become the Executive Producer of WCW arose when Bill Shaw, the president of Turner Broadcasting at the time, asked Bischoff what he would do differently with WCW. Bischoff seized this chance to showcase his innovative thinking. He presented a pitch for a kids’ live-action game show with professional wrestlers as coaches, which he had previously used to sell a show to Fox Studios. This out-of-the-box idea impressed Shaw and ultimately secured Bischoff the job.
Bischoff’s unique perspective and ability to think outside the traditional wrestling box set him apart from other candidates. He believed that in order to grow the audience for WCW, they needed to attract people who were not currently fans of wrestling. His focus was on targeting the teen and pre-teen audience that was not being catered to by WCW at the time.
To prepare for his new role as Executive Producer, Bischoff spent countless hours talking to key individuals in WCW’s production team, such as Keith Mitchell, Kemper Rogers, Craig Leathers, and Jackie Crockett. These conversations provided him with valuable insights into the production side of wrestling. Bischoff learned about the weaknesses in post-production and how to overcome them, as well as who would be best suited to help address these issues.
Bischoff’s extensive research and understanding of WCW’s production allowed him to confidently discuss restructuring production when asked by Bill Shaw during the interview process. He was able to propose effective solutions based on his conversations and observations over the course of a year and a half or two years.
In conclusion, Eric Bischoff’s rise as Executive Producer in WCW was not due to his wrestling background but rather his unique perspective and innovative thinking. He brought a fresh approach to the industry, targeting untapped audiences and focusing on improving production. Bischoff’s success in WCW paved the way for significant changes in the wrestling landscape and solidified his place as a key figure in the industry.