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

9. Bischoff Claims Sting Was WCW’s Highest Paid Talent Pre-NWO

It's interesting to listen to Bischoff separate the deal Hulk Hogan had with WCW from virtually everyone else in the company. When Thompson started talking about the kind of money Hall/Nash would be on, Eric said he was mindful not to make them the highest-paid talent right off the bat.

He then insists that neither man earned more than Sting initially. He was WCW's top earner, raking in around $750,000 per year. What about Hogan though? Well, Bischoff claimed he had a different deal that was more in step with Turner as an umbrella company than the WCW division; this suggests Hulk's deal wasn't part of Eric's budget.

Ric Flair was also a concern to Bischoff.

Earning approx $500,000, Flair was the kind of wrestler who typified WCW's Southern roots. To Eric, that meant his contract had to be respected, so Hall and Nash were brought in for around the same. There are some wrestling fans who simply won't buy that, or that Sting was the highest paid in 1996.