Numerous WWE Hall of Famers made special guest appearances to help announce the results of the WWE Draft, but Eric Bischoff nearly wasn’t among them.
Triple H first announced the return of the WWE Draft on the April 7th episode of SmackDown, promising that it would be the biggest in company history and that every Superstar on the roster was eligible. The Draft began on the April 28th episode of SmackDown and concluded on the May 1st episode of Raw.
During the second night, Eric Bischoff appeared alongside Rob Van Dam to announce the Raw’s selections in the fourth round of the Draft. Bischoff announced that Trish Stratus, Ronda Rousey, and Shayna Baszler had been drafted to Raw, while RVD announced Karrion Kross and LA Knight as going to SmackDown.
“It Came About Relatively Quickly” – Eric Bischoff On WWE Draft Appearance
Speaking on a recent episode of 83 Weeks, Bischoff revealed that his involvement in the WWE Draft nearly didn’t come to pass.
“I got a call about a month ago asking me if I was available on the 28th and whatever it was, the first, for Friday and Monday. I already had a commitment over that weekend, so I knew I couldn’t be available on Friday. I kind of wasn’t sure if they were gonna call me back. I never heard from them again. They called and asked, ‘Are you available?’ ‘Sure, I’m not available on Friday, but I could be available on Monday,’ and then nothing happened.
“I never heard from then, and then I was in Norwalk, Connecticut, I got a phone call saying, ‘Hey, can you be at TV on Monday?’ I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s a lot of rearranging and traveling,’ and I almost said, ‘No,’ but I thought, ‘Well, it’s such a great opportunity, and I do wanna see some people,’ whatever. So, I ended up doing it, but it came about relatively quickly.”
If you use any quotes from this transcription, please credit 83 Weeks and link back to this article with a h/t to Inside the Ropes.