10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Eric Bischoff
6. He's The Only Promoter To Beat Them
Verne Gagne, Fritz von Erich, Paul Heyman, Bill Watts, Frank Tunney, Jerry and Jack Brisco, Stu Hart: all these men have two things in common.
For one, they're all seasoned wrestling promoters who contributed significantly to the fabric of the sport's history. For two, every single one of them was beaten or bought-out by Vince McMahon at some point during their careers. Once the WWE's national expansion began in the '80s, it was only a matter of time before the regional territories were gobbled up one-by-one by Stamford's hungry hippo. Those, such as Heyman, who tried to mount an impetuous challenge to the new monopoly eventually wilted in the massive shadow of Titan Towers.
Not Bischoff. As WCW's booker in the mid-'90s, not only did he challenge the WWF directly by forcing them to re-evaluate their television and PPV business models, but he also managed to beat them into second place. Sure, the time at the top was temporary, but for the briefest period, the crown rested on a different head of hair - and a real one at that. No-one has came closer to besting Vince before or since - and it might just explain why, two decades after the fact, he's been humbly invited to help the company take on their first viable threat since he beat them.