“It Was A Tough Call. It Really Was” – Eric Bischoff On Deciding Against Showing The Sid Vicious Leg Break

Former WCW Executive Vice President, Eric Bischoff, has spoken out about the horrific moment Sid Vicious broke his leg live on television and why he decided against airing it.

At WCW Sin on January 14, 2001, Scott Steiner defended the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against the quartet of challengers of Sid, Jeff Jarrett and Road Warrior Animal. However, during the bout a planned spot went awry which caused one of the most horrific injures seen to this very day.

Coming off the second rope, Vicious seemed to slip from the perch and landed hard on the mat where he dislocated his ankle. Though the cameras were instructed to quickly cut away from the incident, videos have since show the moment in all its grotesque glory including what appeared to be the star’s ankle literally hanging off of the end of his leg.

Now, Eric Bischoff has taken to his 83 Weeks Podcast in order to discuss the moment the injury happened and why he refused to show the replay the following evening on Monday Nitro:

“It was hard to watch. Sid is a controversial talent in some respects, with wrestling fans. I’ve always enjoyed Sid, I got along with Sid from the first time I ever met him. He was an amazing specimen of a human being. This one was a tough one to watch for me.

You want to be real. Whenever a wrestler gets busted open or hurt in the ring, there’s always a need to show the post injury surgery or the severity of the womb or show themselves get stitched up. I guess that’s an effort to prove what they do in the ring is physical and it is dangerous and real. I guess it’s a good thing and necessary thing just to remind people that we’re not out here pillow fighting, this is real stuff and real injuries do happen. There’s a certain point where you have to draw the line of good taste. With this, it was a tough call. It really was.”

The extent of the injuries didn’t become clear until the event had come to a close and diagnostics revealed that the star has snapped both his tibia and fibula with a broke having broke through the surface of his skin. In order to repair the wound, a seventeen inch rod was placed into the pin.

Following the successful restoration of the ankle, Sid Vicious sued the company citing that he was forced against his will to perform the maneuverer.

Eric Bischoff wasn’t the only person who decided against airing the spot on broadcast or replay. WWE have also edited out the moment from their broadcast version on the WWE Network.

Credit for the interview: 83 Weeks

h/t for the transcription: Wrestling Inc.