10 Things Learned From Eric Bischoff's 1994 Timeline Of WCW

5. Got Major Heat For Saying WCW Needed To Be Less Southern

Before Eric Bischoff came on board as a major player in the WCW board room, the company still had many of the same tropes from the old NWA days. Largely regional in their way of thinking, WCW's core staff were more than a little frosty towards the slick announcer's grand ideas for expansion. One of Bischoff's big problems with WCW was that he felt it was a little localised. Primarily running shows in the South, the company had for years relied on classic wrasslin' angles and appealed to a select demographic. Bischoff wanted to change that, and viewed major advertising deals as the best way to make the promotion a money-maker. Feeling those advertisers were put off by the way WCW presented itself, Eric worked hard to instigate change. That's exactly why Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan was hired, because Bischoff felt he brought a far more national feel with him. In similar fashion, so did Hulk Hogan. Looking to overhaul the presentation in WCW, Eric Bischoff halted TV show production at dingy, local arenas and brought it into the bright, garish world of Disney's MGM Studios.