10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Eric Bischoff
1. He Didn't Nearly Put WWE Out Of Business
Let's delve into another chapter from the hefty tome that is WWE's big book of folktales:
"Once upon a time, there was a poor but hard-working millionaire called Vincent K. McMahon. Little Vinnie pulled himself up by the bootstraps to create the world's most successful wrestling farm. All he needed was a bit of grit, determination, and inherited financial clout to aggressively buy out all the other local landowners. And the villagers did rejoice.
But then one day, a big nasty billionaire called Mean Ol' Ted sent his right-hand man Unctuous Eric to Vince's farm to steal his best, 100% natural livestock away. Bit by bit, Eric and his traitorous cows began to take over the land, as the yield from Vinnie's crops gradually diminished. And the villagers did lament.
Even though he hardly had two cents to scratch his behind with, Vinnie didn't give up. With the help of a foul-mouthed snake and, oddly, a rock, he rebuilt his fallen farm, finally sending the evil super-rich upstarts packing for good. And the villagers did pull their forelocks at their new overseer, of then, now, and forever."
It's a good story, but it has the distinct whiff of sweaty b*llocks about it. Yes, Eric Bischoff was adamant about putting McMahon out of business. But he never really came close.
For sure, WWF were enduring straitened financial fortunes as WCW were on the rise, but it had nothing to do with Nitro, and more to do with a calamitous 1995, caused by the failure to replace stars following the steroid scandal. As 1997 drew to a close, the company's business began to pick up, particularly thanks to house show gates and the introduction of full-price In Your House PPVs. Letting Bret Hart go? Buyer's remorse. How else can Mike Tyson's multi-million pound deal a few months later be explained?
But in WWE's fairytale, all the problems were caused by the Evil Eric Bischoff, who was eventually slain by the enduring hero. Doesn't sound so good when the ducks are correctly lined up, does it?