2. Eric Bischoff Embraces Vince McMahon And Joins WWE
Eric Bischoff almost single-handedly tried to destroy the WWE. He also came very close to succeeding. When Bischoff appeared on WWE TV in 2002, it should have been a massive event. While the head of WCW, Bischoff constantly took shots at Vince and his company, including going as far as to challenge McMahon to a fist fight on WCW Programming. He made it his mission to put the WWE out of business, poaching their stars and giving away the results of their pre taped shows. So many people at the WWE had major problems with how he did business. As well as this, there were many people on the WWE roster who had worked with Bischoff before and had not enjoyed the experience. Whether they jumped to WWE (Jericho, Guerrero) or moved over in the Invasion (Booker T), a lot of the guys in the locker room did not like how Eric treated them in the past. Erics arrival in the WWE could have been one of the biggest events in the history of the company. Arguably their biggest enemy, coming to work for the company. There were numerous ways that they could have carried it out. Maybe a hostile takeover? Perhaps he could have managed a new or existing superstar who could dominate the opposition. Instead, the WWE decided to go really low key. The night Bischoff appeared on Raw, Vince McMahon came to the ring and abruptly disbanded his version of the n.W.o. Following that he made the announcement that his company must change with the times. He ushered in the idea of a General Manager for Raw and Smackdown. Later that night, while Booker T was doing a backstage promo, Bischoff walked up and shook his hand. This worked as a good tease, as it got people wondering what would then happen. In the end up, all that happened was that Vince brought him out on stage and HUGGED him. Hugged him. Years of built up aggression during the Monday Night Wars, and potential useful animosity was thrown out the window. While Erics reign as GM of Raw was probably the most successful in history, there were so many other roads that they could have gone down with him joining the WWE. Ultimately, the hug heard round the world left many fans feeling surprised yet incredibly under whelmed.
