10 Things We Learned From Eric Bischoff’s Podcast: New World Order

10. New Japan’s Credibility Planted The Seed

The usual nWo narrative states that Bischoff attended the Battle Formation show in April 1996 and watched in awe as the UWFi invasion of NJPW captured fan attention. According to Bisch on this show though, that's not exactly the truth.

Eric said that it was New Japan that planted the seed of creativity in his brain, but not that specific event. Instead, he admired how respected the product was by mainstream media in Japan and compared that to the cartoony nature of both the WWF and WCW in North America. To Bischoff, an invasion seemed like the perfect way to change that.

Things fell into place once Scott Hall became available to WCW.

With Hall's arrival in the company (soon to be joined by his friend Kevin Nash, who was also leaving the WWF), Bischoff knew he could get people talking by presenting them as ex-WCW stars who had become more famous elsewhere and had returned to right the wrongs of their previous stints.