10 Wrestlers Who Risked Absolutely Everything
5. Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff knew that if his Hulk Hogan gamble failed, he'd be out on his a*se as WCW chief, but was also acutely aware of the power of something that wrestling had seemingly forgotten all about by 1994 - perception.
Bischoff had climbed the corporate ladder as an employee of Ted Turner, and had impressed along the way. Hogan's signature was a flex as much as it was as a signing for the clear number two wrestling company in North America. Be it the dollar amount, creative control or relatively easy schedule, 'Easy E' had found the deal that took 'The Hulkster' away from the character's spiritual home and Vince McMahon's clutches.
It was impossible for wrestling fans to not at least take a little look, and the other familiar faces he brought along with him gradually helped build the company's profile that Hogan's eventual turn in 1996 felt at very least like a turning point, rather than just an earthquake from an unknown territory.