10 Uncredited Architects Behind WWE’s Gigantic Success

3. Eric Bischoff

Jim Cornette
WWE/Fremantle Media

Eric Bischoff had few, if any, original ideas. His short-lived genius was founded on his magpie ability to recognise the genius of others before repurposing and monetising it.

He knew that his traditionally purist crowd was split by the decision to instal Hulk Hogan as WCW's Ace - a sound business decision for which he compensated by raiding ECW to ramp up the match quality of his midcard. He also raided ECW's reality-based philosophy in recognising that fans were (at least nominally) smartening up.

The irony is that he stole a march on Vince McMahon by hiring the men - not included on this list for obvious reasons - known to have propelled wrestling into the mainstream. When the nostalgia buzz of seeing Hulk Hogan et al. faded, Bischoff placed them in a new context borrowed from New Japan Pro Wrestling's inter-promotional war with UWF-i. The New World Order was born; McMahon was helpless to stop it.

Eventually, he did. It took years of strategy and serendipity, intended and incidental - but Bischoff's success was the all-important driver behind it.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!