Throughout his entire stint as Raw general manager, Eric Bischoff did an outstanding job of serving as WWE's heel authority figure. He was so smarmy, so unlikable and arrogant that fans could not wait to see him get his comeuppance. No matter which babyfaces he came up against or how many times he physically took a beating, he always came back, proving one of the few constants of WWE programming during the Ruthless Aggression Era of the early-to-mid 2000s. By the end of 2005, however, the Mr. McMahon character had returned to the company to feud with Shawn Michaels and thus, there really was no need for a second evil authority figure on Monday nights. On a memorable episode of Raw in December, Bischoff underwent a trial in which Superstars and Divas wronged by the former WCW President made a case for his termination. After hearing every testimony, and taking into account his own personal professional disdain for Bischoff dating back to the height of the Monday Night Wars, McMahon fired Bischoff in front of millions of fans watching around the world. From there, John Cena delivered the Attitude Adjustment and McMahon tossed his disgraced former business rival into a garbage truck. It was a fitting end for the Bischoff character. For man himself, though, it was further proof of McMahon's ability to humiliate his employee on-air whenever he saw fit.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
