Eric Bischoff has opened up about why he will never make a full-time return to WWE.
After years of competing against WWE, actively revelling in the ratings war between WCW and WWE, and even challenging Vince McMahon to a fight, on July 15th 2002, Eric Bischoff walked out on Monday Night Raw.
The debut and subsequent embrace with McMahon left viewers stunned and lead commentator Jim Ross completely disgusted as he called the action.
Bischoff was appointed as Raw General Manager and appeared full-time until late 2005. The former WCW President remained with the company until 2007. Following a stint with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, Bischoff began making occasional appearances with WWE again in 2016.
While never being a consistent on-screen presence he did briefly become Executive Director of SmackDown in 2019 but left the role four months later.
Despite this, some have wondered whether Bischoff would ever return to the company full-time, especially following the change of leadership.
Speaking on a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff explained that he’s more than happy living the life he currently lives, and has no desire to return to the grind of life on the road.
“Yeah, that ship has sailed. I am really happy where I’m at. I’m not only happy where I’m at, like I live in a beautiful place, I have a beautiful home. I’m going to part of the country that people all over the world travel to enjoy every year, and I’m really grateful for that. But more than that, I’m grateful for my peace of mind and I’m just at a stage in my life where I hate travelling.
It’s nothing I don’t want to be involved in a wrestling business and I don’t want to ever give anybody that oppression because I love the business and and I love what it’s done for me and my family and you know I still to this day I’m being gifted things from professional wrestling, you know, meeting you and meeting Conrad and getting, you know, just being a part of this, come on, how is this not cool? And I’m grateful for all of that.
But for me to get on a plane at this stage of my life, and travel every week, or, or be in the grind that I know you have to be in to really be involved in this business in any meaningful way, not going to happen.
Just realistically, there’s not enough I mean, there’s enough money right, there is always enough money. But nobody’s going to offer me the kind of money that it would take for me to compromise where I’m at.”
Eric Bischoff was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021 and continues to make occasional appearances for the company.
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