WWEHall of Famer and WCW figureheadEric Bischoffhas a career that anyone in the business would beg to have, either on or offscreen. The longevity he’s had across multiple companies is virtually unrivaled. Not a lot of people can say their careers outlasted that of WCW after the company went under, but lo and behold, Bischoff is still going strong on television screens today.
In November 2024 the former WCW booker made his WWE return with an appearance on NXT programming. It’s wholly impressive to think that at age 69 with a career spanning 38 years, Bischoff still manages to be relevant. Maybe it shouldn’t be surprising knowing everything the man has accomplished over the years.
His book says it best by its title -Controversy Creates Cash- and Eric Bischoff’s career is filled with utterly controversial moments that amounted to dollar signs and entertainment.
11Signing Hulk Hogan
The Business Move That Changed Everything
Eric Bischoff managed to help WCW beat WWE in theMonday Night Wars for 83 weeks straight. It’s a monumental accomplishment for any company that has not and maybe will never be duplicated by another. That kind of success can be traced back tothe day that Bischoff was able to secure Hulk Hogan to a WCW contract.
After being hired as executive producer in 1993, Bischoff worked tirelessly to build WCW to greatness.One of his first mission statements was to sign Hulk Hogan, convinced it would create a game-changing domino effect for their company (which it did). He moved WCW’s production to Disney-MGM Studios in Florida, where Hulk Hogan was filming Thunder in Paradise, a show that was supposed to kickstart his post-WWE transition into acting. Bischoff and Ric Flair would visit Hogan on the set to discuss potentially coming to WCW, and the rest is history.
10Feud With Stone Cold Steve Austin
Highlighted by Their Match at No Way Out 2003
One of the more infamous blunders of Eric Bischoff’s career was firing “Stunning” Steve Austin from WCW via voicemail while the Hollywood Blond was rehabbing a tricep injury. This put a chip on the Bionic Redneck’s shoulder, setting the stage for the character and attitude he’d bring to the Attitude Era. Still,he never forgot what Bischoff did to him, and when they later were under the same roof, that made for perfect storyline potential.
Eric Bischoff has expressed in interviews thatworking with Austin is among the most fun he’s ever had onscreen, with a personal highlight for him being when he wrestled Austin on pay-per-view at No Way Out. Austin was fresh from having “taken his ball and gone home” (this was WWE’s narrative in 2002), and after failing to sign Austin to Raw, Vince McMahon booked Austin vs. Bischoff. The two continued feuding afterward, respectively, as Sheriff and GM of Raw.
9Signing Bret Hart after the Montreal Screwjob
A Statement to Fans
Whenever WWE wrestlers jumped ship to WCW and vice versa, it felt like a statement during the Monday Night Wars. To fans, it read asa wrestler declaring that their previous company wasn’t cool anymore, while their new situation is the place to be and watch. That statement read louder than ever in the wake of the Montreal Screwjob.
“They Killed Wrestling That Day”: Bret Hart’s Comment On An Iconic WWE Moment Is The Most Interesting Part In Netflix’s Mr. McMahon Documentary
Bret Hart is a standout in Netflix’s Mr. McMahon documentary, but his perspective on an infamous WWE moment begs for discussion.
Bret “The Hitman” Hart already made his intentions of going to WCW known before he left the company, hence Vince’s paranoia that he’d leave with the WWE Championship which led to the Screwjob. Still, though, seeing the debacle that was the Screwjob live and watching Hart write the letters “W C W” in what was nearly his final WWE appearance gave the impression that WWE was truly in shambles. Neither Vince nor WWE looked flattering in this scenario for screwing Bret, and so for many fans,it was time to change the channel.
8TNA Farewell Party
Impact Wrestling, July 18, 2025
Eric Bischoff’s wrestling career is championed by highlights in WWE and WCW, buthis time in TNA should not be overlooked so easily, even though his run is reviled by hardcore fans. His and Hogan’s arrival is cited as a catalyst for the company’s downturn. Still, though, this sole moment is a prime example of how committed to character work Eric Bischoff has been, no matter in which company. He’s never been afraid to look silly or foolish, and it’s made for some iconic moments in every company he’s worked for.
10 Terrible Vince Russo Ideas That WCW Fans Hated
Vince Russo is one of the most controversial figures in pro wrestling, mostly because of some of his creative ideas when working for WCW.
Here, he endures verbal and physical ridicule, namely by way of the Shed of Shame, where he’s dumped inside by his son Garrett. Some will call it a crappy way for a legend to go out, and in a literal sense, it is, but more than anything, it’sBischoff understanding the importance of fans seeing a nefarious heel get their just deserts.
7Signing Lex Luger
Eric Bischoff’s Favorite WCW-Centric Moment
On his podcast, Eric Bischoff mentions Lex Luger’s signing and arrival on the premiere episode of Monday Nitro ashis favorite shocking WCW moment. It’s easy to see why when breaking down the significance of that moment. If signing Hulk Hogan created a domino effect, then signing Lex Luger knocked down the dominos. Going back to the sentiment of what it means when a WWE Superstar jumps ship, WCW had just signed someone who was primed to be the next Hulk Hogan.
10 Craziest WCW Storylines & Moments
Was WCW crazier than WWE at its peak? It’s hard to say but it’s undeniable that some WCW storylines are still remembered today for their weirdness.
WWE couldn’t keep their biggest star or their next big thing away from WCW, not to mention that, because Raw was taped, Luger appeared on the same night on both shows. This can be cited asthe official first shot at WWE in the Monday Night Wars. The unexpected signing of their top talent was WCW and Eric Bischoff’s declaration of war, one that WWE struggled to retaliate against.
6Getting Attacked by Hall and Nash
WCW Great American Bash 1996
By the time WCW aired The Great American Bash 1996, the program was weeks removed from the former Razor Ramon invading a WCW ring. Momentarily, the former Diesel would do the same. The wrestling world was glued to their seats to see the latest developments, which would come on the PPV as onscreen interviewer, Eric Bischoff, tried to get to the bottom of why the Outsiders were in WCW. For his troubles,Kevin Nash would nail Bischoff with a Jackknife Powerbombas Scott Hall cheered it on.
As said earlier, Eric Bischoff was always committed to anything he did onscreen, and even before he became an onscreen authority figure, he was ready to take a huge bump like this. Bischoff is no trained wrestler, but when it came to making Hall and Nash look like an immediate danger to everyone in WCW,he had no problem receiving a Jackknife. As violence against an interviewer was basically unheard of, it truly underscored how dangerous and unpredictable this duo was.
5The Trial of Eric Bischoff
Monday Night Raw, August 21, 2025
This works for the same reason that his TNA farewell party works, in thatEric Bischoff is willingly falling on his swordto ensure his villain character gets his comeuppance on his way out the door. After years of being the bad guy, the Raw General Manager is put to task for his crimes and, before he is kicked out for those crimes, he is punished for them too. In this case, he is dumped in a dumpster truck, literally taken out with the trash.
Like with the TNA segment that would come after, Bischoff was made to look foolish, but oftentimes in storytelling, the villain’s defeat at the end of their story should come with being humiliated. No one understands that better than career bad guy, Eric Bischoff.
4Wrestling Ric Flair for Control of WCW
WCW Monday Nitro, July 04, 2025
Ric Flair and Eric Bischoff’s constant jabs at each other would finally come to a head on the final Nitro episode of 1998. Earlier in the night, Flair delivered one of thebest promos in WCW historyand at the end of the show,he defeated Eric Bischoff for full control of WCW. Even better, the entire locker room played a part in ensuring that Bischoff would partake in the match, dragging him to the ring and celebrating with The Nature Boy to end the year on a high note.
10 Great Forgotten WCW Matches Every Wrestling Fan Should Watch
Classic matches featuring all-time greats from the history of WCW.
WCW often received flak from fans for never letting anyone get the jump on the nWo, butthat’s why this moment felt so special at the time.In WCW, villains rarely (if ever) lost, so when the babyfaces finally get one over on ole Eric when it mattered most, it was worth rejoicing.
3WWE Debut as Raw GM
Monday Night Raw, July 30, 2025
If a wrestling fan can use any WWE moment to describe the phrase “when hell freezes over,” it’s when Eric Bischoff appeared on WWE television. When WWE instituted the first brand split, recognizing Raw and SmackDown as separate shows with separate rosters, the former show needed a General Manager to keep things in order. One night, Booker T’s signature “tell me I didn’t just see that” catchphrase uttered moments before “I’m back!” echoed through the arena speakers signaled the arrival of Eric Bischoff.
It was one thing for the man who attempted (and almost succeeded) to put WWE out of business to be signed by the company. It was another tosee him and the WWE Chairman hugging at the ramp.No fan who followed the Wars could believe their eyes, making for an incredibly shocking start to Bischoff’s WWE career.
2Exposed by Piper to Be in the nWo
WCW Monday Nitro, August 20, 2025
When the nWo was still a fresh idea in WCW, Eric Bischoff was still a mild-mannered interviewer, as far as the WCW audience was concerned. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper - a month before he was set to wrestle nWo leader Hulk Hogan in the main event of Starrcade - wasn’t buying it, and confronted Bischoff about it. As Piper expressed in his promo, something wasn’t adding up with Bischoff. The only logical explanation in Piper’s head was thatBischoff was in cahoots with the nWo. Bischoff denied the allegation for as long as he could, until he donned what would become his signature crow-eating grin as the nWo flooded the ring.
It was a wildly entertaining swerve thatchanged Eric Bischoff’s career for the better.Had he not joined the nWo as its manager and commentator, he may have never become the in-ring personality he is today.
