8 Things You Didn't Know About Ready To Rumble
2. Eric Bischoff Was Originally Going To Play Himself In Main Role
It's pretty obvious watching Ready to Rumble that the character of crooked promoter Titus Sinclair (played by Joe Pantoliano) is based on former WCW Vice-President Eric Bischoff. Sinclair is a slimy figure, adorned in a motorcycle jacket and a bull tie that screws the other wrestlers, just had Bischoff had with the likes of Ric Flair and Eddie Guerrero over the previous couple of years.
In actual fact, Bischoff was due to play a fictionalised version of himself in the film before he was let go by WCW just a couple of months before filming was due to begin.
According to Bischoff, the film was a pet project of his and the original script was a lot more dramatic. When he was on the outs, Time Warner (who didn't appreciate wrestling for anything other than the strong ratings) decided to get involved and made it a more comedic endeavour, essentially making fun of the wrestling business.
Would the film have been any better with Bischoff's involvement? It's hard to say, but it certainly would have been interesting watching him try and play a version of himself on the big screen.