Eric Bischoff recently discussed his illustrious career in professional wrestling, revealing that a full time venture within the business is now in his “rearview mirror.”
One of the newest members of WWE’s Hall of Fame, Eric Bischoff has had a long and illustrious career in pro wrestling. From humble beginnings as an on-air interviewer for the American Wrestling Association in 1989, Bischoff would become one of wrestlings most polarising figures during the height of the illustrious ‘Monday Night Wars’.
From the creation of the NWO, to leading WCW into beating WWF in the ratings war a mammoth 83 weeks in a row, to subsequently joining WWE, a company he tried to destroy, Bischoff’s career is like no other. His most recent full time venture behind the scenes as WWE’s Executive Director of SmackDown would come to an end seemingly as quickly as it began, with the former WCW tyrant parting ways with WWE in October 2019.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Angle Podcast, Eric would reveal that for the first time in many years, he feels it is time to walk away from a full time life in professional wrestling:
“I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. It’s just interesting because I think for the last 6 months or year of my life, maybe a little longer, I’ve finally gone, ‘You know what? That’s in my rearview mirror.’ And I’m going to be really honest with you here, I’ve never had this conversation on a podcast with anybody. Even though I’ve been out of the business as a full-time person, when was the last time I was full time maybe 6 or 7 years ago in 2014.
I dabbled a little bit. I do a little thing here and a little thing there, still very interested in the business. [I’ve been] doing my podcast, which kind of keeps me connected to the industry. For the last year, year and a half, you know what, if somebody called me today and said, ‘Here’s this huge check, I want you to come in and do this.’ For the first time in 30 or however how many years, I wouldn’t do it. Because it’s that time, to mentally and emotionally walk away from it.”
Since his 2019 WWE exit, Bischoff has become a staple in the wrestling podcast world. Alongside host Conrad Thompson, the pair reflect on Bischoff’s career and legacy in the wrestling business on episodes of 83 Weeks. Eric has also made sporadic appearances for AEW and, in April 2021, was immortalised in the world of pro wrestling when he was indicted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
h/t for transcription: Wrestling Inc