The Thread Killer

Instead of Greatest Wrestler Ever, we should do a poll of Greatest Big Man Ever. I assume Vader would win, but I think Bam Bam Bigelow would deserve some votes too.

I have to admit I was pretty shocked when I heard Arn say that Kane was his pick for the best big man of all time. But after thinking about it, there is a long history of Pro Wrestlers who when asked, seem to have a totally different set of criteria to determine what makes somebody "great." I think guys that worked with Kane thought he was a great big man because he never hurt anybody and was really easy to work with both backstage and in the ring. Whereas with Vader, it sounds like he was moody and temperamental, never washed his gear and smelled really bad (JR recently said the office had to officially order to him to wash his gear because he was making guys sick) he was impossible to move around, and oh yeah...if you worked with him you were pretty much guaranteed to get smacked around. No wonder actual Pro Wrestlers like Kane better. He might not have been as much fun to watch, but from a worker's perspective at least Kane didn't stink and knock you loopy on a regular basis.

I really want to see that documentary at some point. Once I do, I might actually recap that interview just for @C.S.

Ad Free Shows Exclusive edition of "Arn": March 29, 2020 "Vader Goes Down" - Conrad welcomes us to this special exclusive edition of "Arn." - Conrad says he had asked Arn what notorious or infamous events that had developed any kind of urban legend that Arn had actually witnessed during his Pro Wrestling career. Arn told Conrad that he had been front row center for the legendary incident that took place in WCW between Paul Orndorff and Vader during the fall of 1995. - Conrad notes that this took place before Vader went to the WWF, and while Arn Anderson was still an active Pro Wrestler and not yet an “agent” working backstage. - Arn corrects Conrad that he was working as an agent at the time, even though he was still active as a Pro Wrestler. - Arn puts Paul Orndorff over in a big way. Arn says Orndorff was one of those guys who basically had it all. He had an outstanding physique but he could also work and cut a great promo. On top of that, Paul Orndorff had a legitimate athletic background and a reputation as a very tough man. Arn says that as a result of all those things combined, Paul Orndorff was very highly respected by all the guys in the Locker Room in WCW. - Conrad points out that Paul Orndorff was one of the top names in the Pro Wrestling industry in the mid 80’s when the “Hulkamania” boom began. Of course, Orndorff was in the Main Event of the very first Wrestlemania, but he also was involved in a lot of iconic moments during the Rock & Wrestling era. Orndorff had a very successful run against Hulk Hogan in 1986 (culminating in their match in Toronto that while only basically a house show, drew what was then an outdoor attendance record of 74,000 fans. And you know who was there in the 11th row? That’s right. ME.) - Conrad states that Paul Orndorff’s time as a legitimate Main Event level wrestler was brought to an end by a serious injury in one of his arms. Orndorff’s arm had massive nerve damage, so much so that it began to atrophy and he could barely use his one arm. - Conrad says Paul Orndorff was still wrestling despite his debilitating injury but by this point in Orndorff’s career, he had slowed down and like Arn, was working as an agent backstage in WCW and only wrestling sporadically. - Arn says that being an “agent” in Pro Wrestling is a very difficult job. Arn says that the other Pro Wrestlers have to respect the agents and for that to happen, the agent has to have experience and know what they’re talking about. - Arn says during the course of a work day backstage, the agents are relied on to keep things on schedule. Arn says that when a TV taping is going on it is very difficult to keep everything on track and timing is essential. Arn says the agents have to be respected, because the wrestlers have to listen to them about when promos need to be cut, time cues, etc. - Arn says most active Pro Wrestlers like to get to the building as late as possible and are bad for procrastinating backstage, and somebody needs to push them to get dressed and get ready on time, and do what they have to do. If the agent is not respected, the wrestlers won’t listen to them. - Arn says that a good agent has to know how to handle themselves and be professional. - Arn talks about the problem agents have, with one foot in the Office and the other foot in the Locker Room. Arn says that somebody who works for the Office will never be viewed as “one of the boys” but when you do the job of an agent...you have to do both. Especially if you’re still an active wrestler. - Arn says that Paul Orndorff was one of the very rare guys who had the trust of the office, but the respect of the boys in the Locker Room at the same time. - Conrad asks who was in charge of WCW at this time? - Arn says that Eric Bischoff was in charge at this point, but this was when WCW was still a very relaxed atmosphere and before “things started getting political.” Arn says at the time of this incident, the Locker Room in WCW was actually pretty harmonious and everybody got along, for the most part. - Arn says that at this point, WCW was a great place to work...you could go to work, have fun, do your job and go home. - Arn says WCW was hardly a high pressure atmosphere at this point. Nitro had not even debuted yet. - Conrad asks about Vader, what kind of reputation did he have? - Arn says “working with Leon was...well, you had to fight him, but in a working way.” - Arn says that Vader did have a reputation of being very “snug” in the ring and that when you worked with him, it could be rough. - Arn says that at that time in Pro Wrestling, there were a few cardinal rules. You never dump your opponent on their head, you do your best to avoid marking up their face or knocking out teeth, you always make sure that they land flat on their back, and you never hit them in the balls. As hard as Vader would hit his opponents, he generally followed those rules. - Arn says he doesn’t think Vader was one of those guys who was “ornery” and would “potato” guys whether they liked it or not. Arn says that Vader just got really “amped up” and would hit hard. - Arn says he worked with Vader many times, and says he got knocked around a lot, but Vader never actually hurt him. - Arn says he will only treat people they way they treated him, and he will only talk about people based on how they dealt with him, not based on rumors about how they have treated other people, and based on that he really didn’t have any problems with Vader. - Arn admits Vader’s punches did “waffle” him a few times. - Arn says that the day of the this incident, Vader showed up late. - Arn says that as soon as Vader showed up, Paul Orndorff went up to him and asked him to get his gear on right away because he was needed for a shot. - Arn saw nothing wrong with the way Orndorff approached Vader, Arn says Orndorff was very businesslike. - Arn says after Orndorff left the Locker Room, Vader sat down and started getting his gear out of his bag. - Arn says he doesn’t know why, but Vader seemed to be taking quite a long time to get his gear together, get it on and get out in front of the camera like he had been asked. - Conrad says that this fight happened on August 21, 1995 at the tapings for WCW Saturday Night that was scheduled to air on September 2, 1995. The tapings were being held at Center Stage in Atlanta. - At this point, Vader was scheduled to be on Hulk Hogan’s team in War Games, and the angle Vader was needed for was a segment on WCW Saturday Night where Kevin Sullivan (with The Giant) cut a promo saying that Hulk Hogan could never trust Vader, which would bring Vader out. - Conrad says that Dave Meltzer reported on the fight between Orndorff and Vader in the Observer, and said that as a result of the fight, Bischoff started negotiating with Lex Luger to return to WCW to appear on the debut episode of Monday Nitro on September 4. This would then lead to a match between Luger and Hulk Hogan on September 11, 1995. Meltzer claims this spot had originally been intended for Vader. - Conrad says that at the time of the fight, Vader was in the middle of negotiating a new contract with Eric Bischoff, rumored to be for $750,000 a year for three years. - Arn says that at the time of the fight, nobody knew about that. - Conrad says the rumor had been that Vader was even scheduled to defeat Hogan for the World Heavyweight Championship on September 11, leading to a couple of big Pay Per View rematches between Hogan and Vader. - Conrad says Vader was pretty much in a prime spot in WCW at this point. - Arn wonders if the negotiations were on Vader’s mind at the time of the fight. - Anyhow, getting back to the actual fight... - Arn says Vader was pretty much taking his time getting ready, so Paul Orndorff returned to the Locker Room. - Arn claims that Paul Orndorff came into the room, looked at Vader and looked at his watch. Arn claims that Orndorff said: “Leon, come on man. Jesus Christ, let’s go! Get off your fat ass, let’s get out there and get this done!” Arn says that is pretty much word-for-word what Orndorff said. - Arn said he could see Paul Orndorff was getting very irritated, so as a fellow agent he went to talk to Orndorff and he was going to volunteer to try and talk to Vader and convince him to hurry up. - Arn says that as soon as Arn got up to talk to Orndorff, he noticed Vader looked really angry that Orndorff had chastised him in front of everybody in the Locker Room. Arn says that Vader obviously felt disrespected. - Arn and Paul Orndorff had moved into the hallway at this point. Arn says Vader came charging out of the Locker Room and started screaming at Orndorff. - Arn says he was literally in between the two men, because he was standing in the hall talking to Orndorff and Arn had his back to the Locker Room door. Arn says that when Vader came out of the Locker Room, he was right behind Arn, with Arn positioned in the middle. - Arn says that he felt like a boxing referee standing between two fighters. - Arn says that as soon as Vader started shouting at Orndorff, Orndorff started shouting right back at him. - Arn says that at this point, Vader slapped Paul Orndorff in the side of the head with an open hand, very hard. Arn says the shot to Orndorff “really pickled him.” - Arn says the hallways backstage at Center Stage are very narrow and so when Vader slapped Orndorff, and sent him back into the wall and really “knocked the piss out of Paul.” - Arn says that after Paul fell to the ground, Vader stood over top of him and continued shouting at him. - Arn says “Leon was going into Vader mode and was basically cutting a promo on him.” - Arn says he intervened and tried to get Vader to back off. - Arn says Paul Orndorff popped back up and threw a punch at Vader that was so fast, it was a blur. - Arn says the environment in the hallway was so cramped, that when Orndorff threw the punch his arm literally went over Arn’s shoulder. - Arn says Orndorff hit Vader right in the chin, with one punch. - Arn says Vader’s reaction looked like a worked spot during a match...Vader slumped to his knees, and fell flat on his face. - Arn says at that point, he went: “Hmmm. We need to give this some thought, here.” - Conrad bursts out laughing at this statement. - Arn says that if Paul had been wearing street clothes and cowboy boots, then “we may have witnessed a death, right there. A murder.” - Arn says there might have been a problem with nerve damage in Orndorff’s arm...but “there wasn’t nothing wrong with his legs, because he started stomping Leon like a crazy man...right to his head. The only thing that saved Leon’s life that night was that Paul was wearing flip-flops.” - Arn says even with bare feet, Orndorff managed to stomp Vader 6-8 times. - Arn says that at that point, he could tell Paul Orndorff had totally lost it, so he pulled Orndorff off Vader and convinced him to go down the hall. - Arn says Haku was there, and helped get Orndorff away from the scene. - Arn says that he helped Vader back into the Locker Room, and Vader looked like hell. He was bleeding and his eyes were already starting to swell shut. Arn says: “Leon looked like he’d been dropped off a 10 story building and landed right on his face.” - Arn says that as soon as Vader regained his senses, he got angry again. - Arn says that Haku had managed to calm Paul Orndorff down, and Orndorff had actually gone into the office next to the Locker Room and was changing into his gear because he was scheduled to wrestle that night. - Arn says Vader charged and busted into the office. - Arn says that Orndorff and Vader basically “locked up” and started fighting again, thrashing around. - Arn says: “Thank God, Haku was there. He was the only man in the world who could have broken up that fight.” - Arn says Haku actually physically separated the two men. - Arn says he talked Paul Orndorff into just leaving the building before things escalated any worse, and Orndorff listened to him. - Arn says both men were asked to leave the building. - Arn says that when TV was over, he went to the Marriot hotel and when he walked in he saw Vader sitting at the bar. Arn says he didn’t want to do it, but the human thing to do was to go and check on Vader and see if he was okay and if he could do anything for him. - Arn said that there was an air of celebration in the WCW Locker Room after what happened to Vader. Arn says the enhancement talent were particularly happy, because Vader was known for being extremely rough with enhancement talent, taking liberties and hurting them. - Arn says the mentality of the boys was: “A bully got his today.” Arn says people wanted to make Paul Orndorff President. - Arn says that he decided to go up to talk to Vader in the bar, and that Vader looked like he’d been through a meat grinder. - Arn says Vader was crying and was remorseful about the incident. - Arn says he thinks it was starting to dawn on Vader that he was in the middle of negotiating a new contract and had been poised to fight Hulk Hogan on a brand new network TV show, and now he had basically blown millions of dollars in “one fell swoop.” - Arn says that was the last time he ever saw Vader in WCW. - Conrad says that he has discussed this situation with Eric Bischoff on an episode of 83 Weeks. (Episode #24: “Vader in WCW”) - Conrad says that Eric Bischoff had been having a lot of trouble with Vader at the time. - Conrad says Eric Bischoff claims that Vader was really dragging out his contract negotiations. - Conrad says at the same time, Eric Bischoff had needed Vader to attend a photo shoot to promote some merchandise. Conrad says Eric had signed a contract for this promotion, but for some reason Vader kept refusing to attend the photo shoot, and at the time of the fight, Eric Bischoff had told Vader if he did not attend the photo shoot, he would be fired. - Conrad says that Vader had finally done the photo shoot, the morning of the TV taping. Conrad says that it was because of the photo shoot that Vader was four hours late in arriving to the TV taping. Conrad says the problem is, Vader never called and told anybody he was going to be late. - Conrad says that Eric Bischoff told Vader he was going to be suspended for six months for the fight, without pay. Conrad says that would have amounted to a $400,000 fine. - Vader refused to accept the suspension, so Eric Bischoff fired him. - Conrad says that Turner corporate ended up getting involved with the legal process of firing Vader. - Arn says that is a big difference from when Bill Watts had been in charge. Arn says that if Watts had been in charge, his only question would have been “who won the fight?” - Arn says that the whole fight could have been avoided if Vader had called and said he was going to be late because he was finally doing the photo shoot that Eric Bischoff wanted him to do. That way, Paul Orndorff wouldn’t have been as upset that Vader was late. - It is also possible that Vader showed up to Center Stage in a bad mood because Eric Bischoff had told him that if he didn’t stop procrastinating and go to the photo shoot, he would be fired. - Arn says if somebody would have asked him, he would have met Vader at the door and helped facilitate the whole process. - Arn says WCW was a great place to work at this time, and that there was no need for this to happen. - Arn says that this is what happens when you have “two guys with balls as big as Egypt who refuse to back down.” - Conrad says that the legal and official reason Vader was fired was because he was unable to work due to a shoulder injury suffered during his cage match with Hulk Hogan at Bash at the Beach 1995. (This was the same shoulder injury which caused Vader to miss months in the WWF after his official appearance.) - Conrad says Dave Meltzer speculated that the fight with Paul Orndorff was not mentioned in Vader’s termination notice for liability reasons, since Orndorff had also been at fault. - Conrad says that Dave Meltzer reported that Paul Orndorff was disciplined for unprofessional conduct, but he was not fired. - Conrad asks why Paul Orndorff was not fired too? - Arn said that he and Leon White had never had a cross word...but he had to admit that he had witnessed Vader throw his weight around and bully a lot of people behind the scenes. (Sidenote: Eric Bischoff confirmed this in the aforementioned episode of 83 Weeks dedicated to Vader. Bischoff says that his biggest issue with Vader is that Vader treated the backstage production stuff and employees very poorly and was constantly bullying people and treating them badly.) - Arn says he has always hated Locker Room fights, because afterwards the Locker Room ends up being split, and everybody takes a side. Arn says this is the only Locker Room fight he can remember in his career where everybody took one side. Everybody supported Paul Orndorff it was universal that everybody thought Vader got what he had coming to him. Arn speculates that might be why Orndorff was not fired...because it would have been a very unpopular decision and upset the entire Locker Room. - Arn said this fight made Paul Orndorff into a cult hero in the Locker Room. Arn says that Paul Orndorff was already very widely respected by all the other Pro Wrestlers, but this just cemented it. - Arn reiterates that a lot of the enhancement talent loved Paul Orndorff even more after this fight, because it was like he was standing up for them. Paul Orndorff had a very good reputation with the enhancement talent, as he treated them as equals, never acted like he was better than them, and whenever one of them put him over he would always make a point to go and thank them after the match. Vader was conversely known for taking liberties with enhancement talent, and treating them like they were nothing backstage. - Conrad says the legend of this fight seems to grow every year. - Conrad says it is remarkable that a man with only one good arm, wearing shower shoes, was able to knock out the most brutal 400 pound man, the toughest big man in the industry. - Arn says not a lot of people know this, but Arn’s own career ending injury was very similar to Paul Orndorff’s injury. Arn says Orndorff’s injury was to his left arm, and that made things extra difficult because Orndorff was left handed, and he could barely use his left arm. - Arn says that unbelievably, the knockout punch that Paul Orndorff threw at Vader was with his injured and diminished left arm. - Arn says that Vader was so strong, that he had pretty much stunned Orndorff with the slap to the side of his head. Arn reiterates that he was literally standing in between the two men...he was right there. - Arn says that if Vader had followed up and continued to attack Orndorff, this fight might have had a different story. Arn says Paul Orndorff was in bad shape for a moment after Vader hit him, that’s why Orndorff went down...he was stunned by the slap from Vader. - Arn says he was just happy nobody was permanently injured as a result of this fight. - Arn says there are a lot of tough men in the Pro Wrestling business. Arn says it takes a tough man to put up with the travel, the exercise, getting banged around and beat up when you do your job and all the other demands. Arn says there are a lot of guys in the Locker Room could really hurt you. - Arn says the toughest guys in the Locker Room are guys like Haku, and The Barbarian...guys who are quiet and just sit there. Arn says the big, loud guys like Vader aren’t always the toughest, even though they might think they are. - Arn says a guy like The Barbarian could “kill you in a second...and then eat the evidence.” Conrad finds this comment highly amusing. - Conrad says that he has been told that Paul Orndorff bore no grudges against Vader after the fight, and did not want him to be fired. Conrad claims that Orndorff was fine with Vader coming back to work and was willing to work with him, and let bygones be bygones. - Arn says nobody wanted to see anybody lose their job. - Arn says he talked to Paul Orndorff about the situation several times. Arn says he and Paul were in a similar situation, both still wrestling but trying to work as agents at the same time. Arn says he knows Paul Orndorff did not carry a grudge and did not want Vader fired. - Arn says that when he first started out in the Pro Wrestling business two men took the time to give him advice and help him out. The first was Ted DiBiase, and the second was Paul Orndorff. - Arn says that when he was still learning the business, Orndorff pulled him aside and gave him advice about training, promos and how to work. Arn said he would always remember Paul Orndorff for that, because Orndorff had already signed a contract to go to the WWF and had no reason to be nice to a young wrestler. Arn says he has never forgotten the advice Paul Orndorff gave him, or the kindness he showed him. - Arn says Paul Orndorff actually felt bad after the fight. Orndorff knew Vader probably needed to be taught a lesson, but it bothered him that Vader lost his job. - Arn says Pro Wrestlers are a brotherhood and have to take care of each other and look after other. Arn says that’s how the business was at that point. - Conrad says it’s sad that Vader is no longer with us. Conrad says many people consider Vader the best “big man” in the history of Pro Wrestling. Conrad asks if Arn agrees. - Arn says that Vader should certainly be considered in the conversation...considering what you consider to be a “big man.” - Arn says his vote for the best big man of all time would be Kane. - Arn says Vader deserves credit for all the things he could do for a man of his size. Arn says there were a lot of positives about Vader. - Arn says there was another side of Vader not everybody saw, and that he could be “a big teddy bear.” - Arn says “God bless him, I’m sorry he’s no longer with us and I still think about him.” - Conrad says this is a weird story to go back and look at because the legend has kept growing as time has passed, but there was nobody better to tell this story because Arn was literally right there when it happened. ~End of Interview~

That's the whole reason I listened to it, for the Ric Flair stories. Thing is, she barely knows her father, sadly. She grew up in Minnesota with her Mom who Ric had already divorced when she was a kid. Ric was in to North Carolina, with his second wife (Beth) and Reid and Ashley (Charlotte.) Megan and David are his kids from his first marriage and they did not see him much at all growing up. (Not that his other kids saw him much either...but at least he "lived" with them.) It sounds like he basically felt guilty and spoiled the hell out of her when he did see her. She loves her Dad, but she very obviously resents him and she pretty much hates Professional Wrestling...so there's not a lot interesting in that podcast. You have to remember that most AFS subscribers are Conrad fanboys, so a lot of the questions end up being about what she and Conrad like to eat, and what shows they watch. Riveting stuff.

That's four votes already for the "Fires Back" series, so that is probably the one I'll tackle next. I would have figured that people had read enough about Eric Bischoff for now. I also would have thought the Jim Herd interview would have sparked a bit more interest. There has been a couple of votes for the "Vader Goes Down" episode and that one is pretty short, so I might do that first, just as a palate cleanser before listening to more Bischoff.

The Bischoff/Meltzer dynamic is so fractured at this point that it's comical. Meltzer could report that the sky is blue, and Bischoff would deny it, or claim that Meltzer has no first hand understanding of the sky, so his opinion doesn't mean anything. Conversely, Bischoff could come up with a cure for COVID-19, and Meltzer would give somebody else the credit, or make a bunch of snide comments claiming somebody else must have done it for him.

You were also at Joe vs. Kobashi, weren’t you?

This is a great idea for a thread. I'm a big fan of some of the discussion threads that have been popping up here at PWO lately, the Bret Hart/Bryan Danielson thread, the Greatest Rookie Thread, the Winning Streaks thread...and now this. For a while I was worried PWO was starting to die off, but it's great all these new interesting threads that are popping up now. I am going to have to give some serious thought to this question. I've been a fan for 37 years now and have seen a ton of live Pro Wrestling in that time, so I'll have to give it some thought before I answer. But I can tell you this...based on some of the responses I've seen in this thread so far, a lot of you guys have me beat.

We're coming up on three-and-a-half months since Conrad announced this new mystery podcast was coming...and still nothing. Not to mention on December 15, he said it would be announced in 10 days. Today is January 11 and still nothing. Conrad did an interview with Wrestling Inc. last week where he said again that he is about to debut two new podcasts, one exclusive to AFS and the other will be the infamous 6th addition to his Westwood One stable. I assume this will be the "big name" he's been teasing all this time...but as of today, still nothing. I have not listened to the ECW podcast. It is getting really good reviews from AFS subscribers. I have to be honest, I find it somewhat lame that Conrad has been saying for years that he's been dying to do an ECW podcast and tried to get Heyman and Styles...and the best he can come up with his Joel Gertner and The Blue Meanie? I may give it a listen at some point. All the feedback I've read talks about how impressed everybody is with Joel Gertner. He apparently comes across as extremely knowledgeable and insightful on this podcast. Who would have guessed? All that, plus he's the Quintessential Stud Muffin. Conrad did add a new Video Series to Ad Free Shows, and it's outstanding. It's not just audio, it's video. It's called "Title Chase" and it traces the history of Championship Title belts, shows details about how they were made, and then traces the lineage and shows where they ended up. The first episode was on the WCW US Championship, and I really enjoyed it. It was really professionally done and I found it interesting.

I don't hunt (I'm an animal rights guy...even though I've never been able to stick to a vegetarian or vegan diet, despite a couple of attempts) but I do fish. Even still, I have to be honest...the idea of living on a ranch in the middle of nowhere does appeal to me. Besides, I don't know if anybody ever saw that documentary WWE did on Bischoff: "Eric Bischoff - Sports Entertainment's Most Controversial Figure" but they filmed the interviews with him at his place in Wyoming. There is footage of him fishing, sitting on his porch, at a bonfire and sitting in his living room and I have to say...it looks like a pretty nice place and beautiful area. If I could afford to live somewhere like that, I would. Just probably not in the dead of winter.

Thanks very much for the positive feedback brothers.

Okay guys, now that I have recapped the saga of Eric Bischoff's departure from WWE, I am ready to consider tackling my next epic recap. I wanted to get some feedback from you guys, so I figured I'd make a list of what podcasts/interviews I have available and see if any particular one jumps out at you, that you'd like to see me tackle first. Of course, if there is something that is not on the list that you'd like to see me take a crack at, feel free to ask and I'll see what I can do. Here's what I have... "Vader goes down" Recapped on 01/11/21 Arn Anderson gives Conrad Thompson his eyewitness account of the infamous night he witnessed Paul Orndorff giver Vader a beating in the WCW locker room. This of course is the incident which resulted in Vader being released from WCW. "The Plane Ride From Hell" Recapped on 01/29/21 Jim Ross was the Vice President of Talent Relations and was a passenger on the infamous flight from England back to the United States on May 5, 2002 when...all hell broke loose. They still talk about this flight, 18 years later. If rumors are true, you had drinks getting spiked, Ric Flair showing off his "little Naitch", Curt Hennig and Brock Lesnar wrestling in the aisles, Goldust getting drunk and serenading his ex-wife over the PA system, flight attendants getting sexually harassed, and most infamously...Michael Hayes getting his mullet cut off. JR was there to witness the carnage, and had to deal with the fallout, which included more than one talent getting released. Eric Bischoff interviews David Arquette Recapped on 01/24/21 On the anniversary of David Arquette's "historic" WCW title win, he sits down with Eric Bischoff to discuss his win, his love of Pro Wrestling, "Ready to Rumble" and his upcoming documentary. "Four Star Summit" Dave Meltzer, Bryan Alverez, Wade Keller and Bruce Mitchell sit down together for a round table discussion on the business of Pro Wrestling journalism. I included this on the list because it is not available anywhere aside from Ad Free Shows and Fite TV, so it's exclusive content. If you guys vote to hear about this, I will recap it...but if you really love me, you won't make me listen to this. "The Monday Night Wars Debate" Eric Bischoff and Bruce Prichard debate The Monday Night Wars in front of a live audience. I haven't listened to this, but I'm betting my bullshit-meter will explode if I do. "War Games Revisited" JJ Dillon, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger and Road Warrior Animal are interviewed regarding the original War Games. "The Death of WCW Debate" In front of a live audience, Eric Bischoff debates RD Reynolds regarding the accuracy of his book "The Death of WCW." (RD Reynolds was the co-author with Bryan Alverez, who despite being in attendance, declined the invitation to participate in this debate.) "Eric Fires Back" I love this series. Conrad plays clips from various Shoot Interviews of people talking shit about Eric Bischoff, and gives Bischoff the chance to respond. In this first episode, Conrad plays clips by Jim Cornette, Bret Hart and more. I don't know how well these would come across in transcript form, but they make for highly entertaining listening. "Eric Fires Back: Part Two" This show was supposed to be a "one off" but the fan response to the first show was so overwhelmingly popular that Conrad did a second episode. This show features more bitterness from Bret Hart and some truly delusional nonsense from Greg Gagne, which prompts a truly epic reaction from Eric Bischoff. Anybody who has ever heard or seen a Shoot Interview from either Greg Gagne or Mike Graham knows that for years both of them took credit for bringing Hulk Hogan into WCW. At one point, Greg Gagne actually took credit for the creation of the NWO as well. Now Bischoff gets a chance to tell his side...and he is not pulling any punches, trust me. Eric Bischoff meets Tony Khan Conrad Thompson introduces his two friends Eric and Tony to each other, and then basically rolls tape and records their conversation for about 90 minutes. It's a bit of a mutual admiration society, but it's not without interest. Jim Ross interviews Cody Rhodes Pretty much what the title says. This was recorded right after "All In" when Cody won the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship, and he sits down to talk to Jim Ross. "JR Fires Back" Based on the overwhelming popularity of the "Eric Fires Back" series, Conrad Thompson tries the same formula with Jim Ross...he plays clips from various Shoot Interviews over the years with Pro Wrestlers shitting on Jim Ross...and then gives JR a chance to respond. I didn't enjoy this at all. Firstly, many of the "talents" who are highlighted are pretty much lowlife scumbags like Road Dogg and Bryan Clarke, and they spend time mocking JR's facial paralysis which is just sad. You can tell by JR's reaction that it just upsets him and kind of depresses him, so he is very calm and diplomatic in most of his responses. The whole appeal of the "Eric Fires Back" series is that for the most part, Eric Bischoff gives ZERO fucks and he lets loose on most of the rebuttals in fashion that would rival Jim Cornette. When JR doesn't rise to the bait, the whole idea just doesn't work. Conrad later commented in one of his "Ask Conrad Anything" podcasts that he knew this episode was a major misfire. He assumed that because JR is so damn crabby all the time that this would make for entertaining listening, but it really doesn't. This podcast formula is awesome for Eric Bischoff and even Tony Schiavone but this didn't work out well at all. "Tony Fires Back" You have to say this for Conrad Thompson, when he finds a formula that works for him...he goes with it. As I said, the "Eric Fires Back" podcasts are some of the most popular shows he has ever done behind the paywall, so he wastes no time trying to duplicate the success...here he tries with Tony Schiavone. This goes much better than "JR Fires Back." The only problem is, there really aren't that many people who have anything bad to say about Tony, so there isn't as much to work with. Interesting sidenote: Conrad says that he absolutely cannot wait to do an episode of "Bruce Fires Back" where he plays all the shit people have said about Bruce Prichard over the years and lets Bruce respond...but Bruce is legally prohibited from doing something like that by WWE, as long as he is an executive there. Conrad has claimed that as soon as Bruce leaves WWE, that is one of the first things he wants to do. "Ask Megan Anything" This is a Q&A, where Ad Free Shows subscribers sent in questions for Conrad Thompson's wife to answer. As you would expect, 99% of the questions are about what it's like growing up with Ric Flair as a father, and what it's like being married to Conrad Thompson, aka: "The Podfather." "Ask Lori Anything" Lori Bischoff takes questions from Ad Free Shows members about what it's like being married to "Easy E." For those of you wondering...yes somebody actually gets up the nerve to ask her about posing for Playboy, the "Atlanta Gold Club" scandal back in 2001, and the subsequent rumors about her and Eric's relationship with Dallas and Kimberly Page. She expertly dodges the question about the Gold Club (probably because Eric admitted under oath that the allegations were true) but flatly denies the rumors about DDP and his wife. Then again, those allegations came from Scott Steiner...so I don't know how much stock I'd put into them anyhow. "Ask Erin Anything" This is a Q&A with fan submitted questions for Erin Lundy, Arn Anderson's wife. The main takeaway from this is that she sounds like pretty much the sweetest, nicest woman you'd ever want to meet...and he has little to no clue about anything about Arn's career. I'm not surprised, but I guess Arn was one of those guys who left his work at work. "Ask Lois Anything" Anybody who has ever listened to even a couple of episodes of Tony Schiavone's podcast knows that his wife Lois is...quite a character. She's almost become a legendary figure in Conrad's little podcast world. The woman is extremely opinionated, quite funny at times and has a sharp answer for just about anything. I chose not to listen to this because I don't really listen to Tony's podcast all that much (I'm not a big fan of the "watch along" format.) Also, Lois Schiavone is a full fledged, die hard MAGA hat wearing, Trump supporter. While I am not a left wing person at all, I don't much care to hear from Trump supporters, either. I find both the far left and the far right very obnoxious, and I tend to avoid both if at all possible. I don't know if Lois used this podcast as an excuse to start ranting about politics, but I figured it would be safer for me to avoid it. I don't want to hear Lois Schiavone praising Trump any more than I want to listen to Jim Cornette bash him. I find political talk tiresome, so this was a hard pass for me. But if anybody really wants to hear it...I'll recap it. "Eric Fires Back: Part Three" Conrad his back with his third instalment of this incredibly popular series. This is good shit, pal. "Behind The Paint With Sting" Tony Schiavone sits down with Sting and does an fairly interesting interview. Sting is a lot more engaging and entertaining during this interview than he has been in most other interviews I've seen him give, probably because it was before a live crowd and he's very comfortable talking to Tony. "Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn: An Extreme Rivalary" RVD and Mr. JL sit down in front of a live audience and discuss their famous rivalry in ECW. "Eric Fires Back: Part Four" This is pretty good, but unfortunately they are running out of clips of people bashing Bischoff for him to respond to. Conversations with Conrad featuring Jim Herd Recapped on 01/21/21 This is one of the exclusive interviews I alluded to when I first talked about starting this thread and doing more recaps. Conrad managed to land an exclusive interview with one of the more controversial figures in the entire history of WCW, former WCW President Jim Herd. This interview was somewhat noteworthy because Herd had pretty much vanished and not given an interview in over 20 years...and a couple of the things he said during this interview ended up making some of the Pro Wrestling "newz" sites. "I Quit" with Magnum TA and Tully Blanchard Tony Schiavone sits down with Magnum and Tully to discuss their feud and this classic match. Mailbag with Mike Chioda Starting at the beginning of November 2020, former WWE referee (of 30 years) and current AEW referee Mike Chioda started doing a weekly Q&A podcast, taking questions from Ad Free Shows subscribers. This show has been surprisingly entertaining, and has actually resulted in a few newsworthy revelations regarding payoffs and other backstage goings on in WWE. This has been way more interesting than I ever would have expected. If anybody actually wants me to recap some of this show, I would do it. Mailbag with Gerry Brisco Gerald Brisco alternates weeks on the "Mailbag" podcast, with Mike Chioda. I have to be honest, I don't much care for this and I rarely listen to it. Brisco is like a lot of old school guys who want to cash in on the whole podcast and Shoot Interview phenomenon. They want the money, but are pretty stingy with the details and are very careful about what the say. I swear some of these older guys are still trying to maintain "kayfabe." There's not a lot of substance here and this podcast hasn't ended up being anywhere near as popular as I think Conrad was hoping it would be. I think the original idea was that this was going to be huge and the Mike Chioda episodes were going to be filler basically, but it's ended up being the other way around and Chioda's is actually extremely popular. Having said that, Brisco's tribute to Pat Patterson was apparently quite good, as you'd expect. Ask Conrad Anything Ever since Ad Free Shows launched, Conrad has been doing regular "AMA" podcasts with the members. Surprisingly, these have ended up being some of my favorite shows to listen to. They are a mixed bag. Conrad knows his audience, so he is extremely transparent and is willing to discuss pretty much anything as long as he is legally able to do it. That's why I was able to post lengthy recaps about his relationship with Vince Russo and Jim Cornette...it was all based on information from this show. Conrad is totally up front about the technical and financial details of his podcast empire, and if you're interested in that kind of thing it can be a really intriguing listen. He also ends up giving a ton of financial and mortgage advice, which is less interesting to me...although his explanation of the housing collapse in 2008 was a damn entertaining episode. He also gets a lot of those ridiculous "who is on your Mount Rushmore" and fantasy booking questions too. And finally, just posted today as I write this... "Sharpshooter: Bret Hart in his own words" Bret Hart sits down for an in depth interview with Sean Mooney, in front of a live audience. * * * * * EDIT: In the interest of full disclosure, there are a couple of interviews with The Young Bucks on Ad Free Shows...but here's the thing. I would rather take a red hot flaming poker right in the ass than listen to a Young Bucks interview...never mind going to all the trouble of having to recap it, because that means you have to listen to it twice. So as much as I love PWO and as much love as I have for all my PWO Good Brothers? Me recapping a Young Bucks interview is never going to happen. I'd just as soon listen to Nickelback, dammit. Not gonna happen. * * * * * So there's the menu, so far. Like I said, I am also willing to consider requests to recap any other podcasts or interviews you might have seen elsewhere, but otherwise if anybody reading this wants to see a recap of anything listed above...please reply in this thread and let me know. Thanks!

For what it's worth, having listened to pretty much every episode of 83 Weeks and this episode in particular a few times, here is my take on what happened between Eric Bischoff and WWE... 1) I think it's pretty obvious that Bruce Prichard talked Vince McMahon into giving Eric Bischoff a job, because Prichard knew that Bischoff was in financial trouble and was on the verge on bankruptcy. If Bischoff wasn't getting his ass kicked financially at the time, I don't think he would have taken that job. 2) The whole deal started off on the wrong foot. Bischoff admits that WWE expected him to sell his home in Wyoming and move to Stamford and start work, right away. Bischoff admitted that WWE basically wasn't happy with the fact that he was hired in the middle of June but wasn't able to start work until the end of July. When you work for WWE, it sounds like it's the same as joining a damn cult. You're expected to sell your home and all your worldly possessions, and move as close to WWE Headquarters as you can possibly get and be available to them 24/7 with no exceptions. There is evidence to support this theory. I remember an interview I saw with J.J. Dillon years ago, where he talked about when Vince hired him to be the Head of Talent Relations in the WWF. Vince supposedly insisted that J.J. move to Stamford, even though Dillon could not afford to do it. (Dillon had some serious financial limitations because he was caring for a child with Special Needs.) Vince actually arranged a very expensive mortgage on a home in Stamford and pressured Dillon into taking it. And then, in an extra special example of Vince being a scumbag...McMahon turned around and cut Dillon's pay. If you don't believe that story, all you have to do is listen to others. Jim Cornette, Jim Ross and even Bruce Prichard have all given interviews where they talked about how the condition of their job was to move to Stamford and be available to Vince 24/7. And I don't think it's any coincidence that after Cornette insisted on moving back home to Louisville, he wasn't around too much longer...and the time he was still with WWE, he was out of political favor with Vince. JR insisted on moving back to Oklahoma, and that was pretty much the beginning of the end for him in WWE. And even Bruce, the first time he moved back to Houston and started working from home a lot of the time? He ended up getting fired in 2008. As soon as you show that you don't want to live in Stamford and be at Vince's beck-and-call 24/7, that's pretty much it for you. Bischoff made it clear that he was only willing to sign a two year deal, and he wanted to go back to Wyoming once he turned 65. So not only did he not drop everything and come running when he got hired, he had the audacity to say that he knew when he wanted to leave. 3) I think @NintendoLogic pretty much hit the nail on the head...Bischoff "being unable to adapt to the WWE system" is basically code for the fact that he wanted days off, and wasn't a big fan of getting calls in the middle of the night. Like I said in my recap, Bischoff admits he got "one of the those calls" in the middle of the night the day before he was fired, and then the next day when he went into work, they fired him. If you read between the lines, I think it's pretty obvious that the way he reacted to that call directly caused what happened the following day. That's why Bischoff doesn't (vocally) blame WWE. He knows that was what was required of him to work there, he just didn't want to do it. Bischoff admits that he took the job for the money, but another big part of it was so he and his wife could have easier access to New York and experience the fine dining and performing arts in the city, stuff they had no access to in Wyoming. As soon as he figured out that he would be working 14 hour days and getting calls in the middle of the night, I have no doubt he started copping an attitude over it and everybody could tell he wasn't happy. I've heard Prichard say it countless times...when you work for Vince you're not allowed to care about anything other than WWE. You can't sneeze, you can't be sick, you work 14 hour days and take calls in the middle of the night. Eric said he was told, he must have his phone with him at all times and he must never turn it off. What normal person would be happy working under those conditions, especially after you ran a company of your own? I think a big part of this probably has to do with the fact that Bischoff used to run WCW and had everybody answering to him, and now he was answering to Vince because he had to, and that probably didn't sit well. And Bischoff himself admitted that the way WWE does things was "completely fucking alien to him." But I don't doubt that Eric Bischoff had a hard time taking orders in WWE because he was used to being the boss himself. 4) That's not even taking into account the idea that Eric Bischoff was never really supposed to succeed in this job anyhow, no matter what he did. Conrad Thompson made it clear during this interview that he thinks Eric Bischoff was only hired to placate the shareholders who were pissed about how much money and time Vince McMahon was devoting to the XFL. Conrad also said that he thinks Vince hired Bischoff to be a scapegoat in case things didn't go well with Fox...Vince could blame it on Bischoff. There is another interesting theory about this whole thing, that was never mentioned during this interview. Tony Schiavone was irate when Eric Bischoff got fired. He and Jim Ross have both publicly speculated that the only reason WWE hired Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman was to keep them away from Tony Khan and AEW. Schiavone has talked openly about how in the years leading up to his signing with AEW, he himself was having serious financial problems. He was in so much trouble, he ended up taking a job at Starbucks...a fact that Britt Baker referenced in one of her promos during her heel turn. Schiavone also admits that he had called WWE several times pretty much begging for a job. He didn't want to be an announcer, he was just hoping to get on as a producer...hopefully with the WWE Network. Schiavone finally got a hold of Triple H one time, and Triple H said he'd call him back...but he never did. All of the sudden, rumors start to fly about Tony Khan starting AEW, and of course there is all sorts of wild speculation about who will end up getting hired. There are all sorts of names that get thrown around...Jim Cornette, Jim Ross, Paul Heyman, Tony Schiavone and Eric Bischoff. Schiavone says (and I believe him) that no sooner did the rumor start to go around that he was going to be hired by AEW and he started negotiations with them...when a miracle happened. All of the sudden WWE contacted him and offered him a job. This is the company that wouldn't even return his calls, but as soon as it looked like he was going to AEW, they wanted him. I have zero doubt that one of the main reasons Vince hired Eric Bischoff was to fuck with AEW. Furthermore, I honestly feel that Vince never intended to give Bischoff any real authority or for him to succeed. I know it sounds like a tinfoil hat conspiracy theory, but I think there is enough evidence to suggest that it is just like Vince McMahon to hire somebody to keep them away from the competition, and then fire them in disgrace, thereby devaluing them to any future employers. If AEW were to hire Eric Bischoff now in any capacity, you know the first reaction would be: "LOL he couldn't even make it in WWE for three months before he got fired for being clueless and lazy and spending all his time in catering." I think Eric Bischoff knew all that damn well going in, but he didn't care because he wanted the money. It wasn't during this interview, but I can tell you that in subsequent episodes of 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff has alluded to the fact that he got one of those proverbial "golden parachutes" when WWE fired him. Like him or not, Eric Bischoff is not stupid. This guy was represented by CAA, the most powerful Entertainment lawyers in the industry. You can't tell me he didn't have it written into his contract that if WWE fired him before his two years was up, they were going to have to write him a big, fat cheque to go away. Eric Bischoff came off looking pretty bad in this whole mess, but in the end I am betting he was laughing all the way to the bank.

Reading that article, Bischoff might take some issue with the accuracy considering... 1) His "entire family" consisted of himself and his wife, because both his kids are grown adults and don't live with him anymore and... 2) He never lived in Oklahoma. He is right about Smackdown on Fox being totally Vince's project, and Bischoff confirmed that. But can anybody who has ever heard anything about Vince McMahon even be remotely surprised at that theory? I can't imagine anybody honestly believing that Vince McMahon of all people would take a back seat and hand over the responsibility of overseeing the biggest Pro Wrestling TV deal in the history of his company (and the entire industry) to the guy who literally tried to put him out of business.

He pretty much makes it sound like he never even got the chance to touch the ball, never mind drop it. He didn't know who was on his creative team heading into the first episode on Fox, but it didn't matter because it sounds like Vince booked it himself. Within two weeks, Bischoff was fired. From the sounds of the interview I recapped, Bischoff didn't even really have any interaction with Fox, and that's not why Vince hired him anyhow...if you are to believe Bischoff.

Bischoff has claimed that the reason the nWo started adding members like crazy (Michael Wallstreet, Ray Traylor, etc.) is because they were preparing to split off and "take over" Nitro. He also claims the main reason he signed Bret Hart was to be the #1 star on Thunder, and pretty much they were planning on doing what WWE ended up doing with Raw and Smackdown, having two separate brands which compete at PPV's several times a year. From what I understand, the idea got killed for two reasons. They kicked off the idea with the 12/22/97 episode of Nitro, when the nWo "took over" and spent most of the show destroying the sets and rebuilding them nWo style. The problem is, when the ratings came in apparently they were down 25% from the previous week, and Raw actually beat Nitro during the 10:00 pm hour. That supposedly made everybody nervous and caused them to rethink the idea. (Who would have guessed fans wouldn't want to watch a glorified home improvement project while the nWo cut endless promos?) Secondly, I guess TNT and TBS weren't crazy about the idea of certain talents being exclusive to the other channel, even though both channels were owned by Turner. If you believe the rumors, the original plans were for Bischoff to beat Zbyszko at Starrcade and for WCW to "lose" Nitro to the nWo, causing WCW to start their own show on Thursdays with Bret Hart as the #1 star, but once everybody saw the ratings, they pulled the plug on the whole idea. In my opinion, the nWo angle started to really go into the toilet way back then, when they stopped being an elite stable made up of former WWE stars and started adding guys who were...not quite as big.

Via Getty is the member of a large crime family. His older brothers Spa, Alpha and Dyno are especially brutal.

Yes, Bischoff has talked about that several times on his podcast. The plan was for Nitro to belong to the NWO and Thunder to belong to WCW.

Thanks guys, it is much appreciated. Recapping this interview took a lot longer than I thought it was, it was a real marathon compared to the other recaps I have written up. By the way, it is nice to meet you @Perfectly Straightedge, I don't think I've seen you here before and it's always nice to see new names at PWO.

Ad Free Shows Exclusive edition of 83 Weeks: March 28, 2020 "Eric Leaves WWE" Part Three: "You're FIRED!!!" - At this point in the interview, Conrad Thompson kind of takes over for a moment. - Conrad says that he wants to provide the proper context to what happened next, after Eric Bischoff returned to WWE. - Conrad says that Eric Bischoff was not only hired to be the Executive Director, but he was also hired right before Smackdown is set to change networks and debut on Fox on what is the biggest Pro Wrestling TV deal in history, from a financial standpoint. - Conrad says the magnitude of Pro Wrestling returning to network television, especially in Prime Time cannot be overstated. - Conrad says that Vince putting Smackdown into Eric’s hands must have been a PR move, because Vince was worried that the WWE shareholders were worried about Vince trying to “stretch himself too thin” by debuting Smackdown on Fox while overseeing the relaunch of the XFL at the exact same time. - Conrad pointed out that around this time, a significant number of WWE stockholders had actually filed lawsuits against WWE because they thought Vince McMahon was reallocating time and resources from WWE to the XFL. - Conrad thinks that Vince hired Eric and Paul Heyman and named them Executive Directors tried to placate the stockholders because of these lawsuits, because Vince could turn around and point out that both Eric and Paul Heyman had previously run their own Pro Wrestling companies, which would leave Vince free to run the XFL. - Conrad says that if you read the press release WWE put out about Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman being hired to be Executive Directors, it gives a totally false impression of why the two men were actually hired. - Conrad says that he feels based on inside information he has heard, basically Vince hired Eric and Paul just to get the shareholders off his back and fight off the lawsuits, but Vince never really intended to give Eric or Heyman any actual control over Raw and Smackdown. - Conrad says that he feels Vince McMahon was setting Eric Bischoff up to be a scapegoat because he knew Fox had very high expectations going into Smackdown’s debut...and Vince probably knew they were not going to be able to deliver on what Fox had been promised by WWE. - Conrad points out that Fox invested a huge amount of money into Smackdown and were going to expect a big return, so he thinks Vince hired Eric Bischoff to protect himself from the wrath of Fox if he ended up being unable to meet expectations. - Conrad asks if Eric agrees? - Eric actually seems a bit miffed at this statement and says no, he doesn’t agree with that theory for a split second. - Eric says if that theory was true, then why does Paul Heyman still work as Executive Director for Raw? (Sidenote: Umm...) - Eric does agree that Fox had extremely high expectations. - Eric says the first episode of Smackdown on Fox drew around 4 Million viewers, but Eric says that was to be expected considering the “insane” amount of money WWE and Fox invested in heavily promoting the show. - Eric says that when any new show debuts on network TV, you can always expect a 24-30% drop in viewership between the first and second episode. Eric points out he has a long history working in television and that is just the way things work. - Eric says viewers will tune in to see the first episode of something because it is new, but it is natural that a significant amount of first time viewers will not like it, and will not come back. Eric says that’s just the “nature of the beast.” - Eric says if you do a good job, you will hold a portion of your audience and Smackdown did. - Eric pointed out that a lot of things happened on the debut episode that WWE was not going to be able to follow through with on a weekly basis...namely the appearance of The Rock. - Eric says that the debut episode of Smackdown was not “Eric Bischoff’s Smackdown.” Yes, technically he was the Executive Director and yes “theoretically” he was overseeing the creative team, but there is one creative filter in WWE and “we all know who that is.” - Eric says that entire show was basically written by Vince McMahon, and “he threw everything he had at it.” - Eric pointed out that after that, the next episode did around 2.5 Million viewers...and after that Eric was fired. - Eric says he was only with WWE for just under four months, and he has to be honest...he knew after the end of the second month that this job was not going to work out. - Eric says after he had been there for about 6 weeks, he came home for work one night in the middle of the night, and told his wife: “Start packing. I know how to get back to Wyoming, and this stay is going to be a lot shorter than I thought.” - Eric says that he didn’t come to that conclusion based on anything anybody said to him, or even how he was treated. - Eric says that he needs to reiterate that WWE treated him very fairly and he really likes a lot of the people there, but he could tell very early on that this was not a good fit and the relationship was not going to last. - Eric says that he understands now that there is absolutely no way he would ever go back to work for WWE again. Not just because he wouldn’t want to, but based on what happened it wouldn’t be in the cards. - Eric says he didn’t fit into the WWE corporate culture. - Eric says he does not believe Vince set him up to fail. - Eric says it didn’t work out because he was unable to adapt to the WWE corporate culture and their expectations and that is his fault, not Vince McMahon. - Eric points out that Vince McMahon made a major financial investment in bringing Eric Bischoff into WWE corporate, and he wouldn’t have invested all that money in him if he hadn’t wanted the relationship to work. - Eric says there was never a time that he needed or wanted anything to do his job, that WWE wouldn’t provide it. - Eric says he the WWE corporate environment was “completely fucking alien to me” and he was unable to find a way to work within that environment and be successful. Eric says he thought he’d be able to do it, but he couldn’t. - Eric says he was always able to adapt to corporate changes or expectations in the past, but this time he just couldn’t do it, when he had been sure he could. - Eric says that both he and Vince McMahon knew things were going badly, and that is why when Vince fired him, “I was more relieved than disappointed.” - Eric says that when Vince fired him, he told Vince that he was disappointed in himself for being unable to adapt to the WWE environment and meet or exceed Vince’s expectations. Eric says he failed Vince and WWE, not the other way around. - Eric says his getting fired was not WWE’s fault, and not Vince’s fault. It was his fault. - Conrad says that during Eric’s time with WWE, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alverez were reporting in The Observer the entire time that Eric was back with WWE he didn’t actually do any work and spent all his time hanging out in catering. - Conrad asks if Eric paid any attention to the “industry trade sheets” accusing him of being lazy and basically doing nothing when he worked for WWE. - Eric gets very testy at this point, and says that he takes exception to Conrad considering The Observer an “industry trade sheet.” Eric says The Observer is nothing more than a dirt sheet, a gossip column, and that the Pro Wrestling business doesn’t have a real “trade sheet.” - Eric says that The Observer is more like The National Enquirer. - Eric says that he is not saying that people like Wade Keller, Jason Powell, Mike Johnson, Dave Scherer, and Ryan Satin don’t work hard...they do. Eric says all those guys work hard at providing credible, sourced stories. - Eric says he is aware that there were stories going around that Eric wasn’t doing anything when he worked for WWE, and that he spent all his time sitting around in catering “eating fucking donuts” and that those stories are just not true. - Eric says that story about him having nothing to do and sitting around in catering is all attributable to Dave Meltzer, and reiterates that it’s not true. - Eric says that unless you have been backstage at a live WWE TV broadcast, you really can’t understand the way things work. The writing team is assigned an office at the venue, which is usually a very small room with a table for 10-12 writers. There is not enough room to put your backpack or laptop down. - Eric says that Vince McMahon is assigned a private office at the venue, as are the producers (agents) and then of course there is the “Gorilla Position.” The only area backstage at a venue during a live WWE TV broadcast where you can sit at a table with any privacy is the catering area, because there are usually rows of tables and chairs. - Eric says he was never assigned his own office, which made things a bit “inconvenient and uncomfortable” so the only possible place he could sit down with his laptop or meet with anybody with any type of privacy was in catering. - Eric says: “Did I spend a lot of time in catering? Damn right I did. I was working. There was no place else for me to sit. But for Dave Meltzer to suggest I was just sitting there twiddling my thumbs or I was eating fucking donuts? That’s just Dave Meltzer being a cunt.” - Eric says Observer readers love to hear gossip like “Eric Bischoff isn’t doing any work he just sits in catering all day doing nothing” but that doesn’t make it true. - Eric knows why he was fired, and it has nothing to do with the amount of work he did, or him sitting in catering when he met with talent or writers. - Conrad told the story about how right after Eric was fired, Conrad had arranged to throw a huge party for Tony Schiavone's birthday. The party was a very big production with all sorts of industry names in attendance, and there were speeches...it was almost like a "celebrity roast." (Sidenote: If I'm not mistaken, I think this was the party where Jimmy Havoc punched out Excalibur, right in front of Tony Khan.) Since Eric had just been fired, he was able to show up unexpectedly. Everybody was a bit uncomfortable because they knew Eric had just been fired, and many had read all the stories about Eric in the Observer. Eric walked up to the microphone and said: "I'm just here for the catering." - Conrad says the first episode of Smackdown on Fox went great...Rupert Murdoch was in the front row, Tyson Fury was there and posed for selfie with Ric Flair and Eric...Conrad says things must have felt very positive coming off that show? - Eric says it was a great show, and he doesn’t know how it could have gone any better. - Eric confirms that everybody was very positive backstage after the show. - Eric says his daughter Montana works in Los Angles and so she came to the show and actually brought her boss. - Eric says that at the after-party, his daughter got to see Ashley (Charlotte Flair) for the first time since they were kids and it was a very happy reunion. Eric remembers that back when he worked for WCW and they taped TV at Disney studios, his daughter and Charlotte used to play together for hours, running around backstage at Disney. - Eric says it was very fun, and a great night. - Eric says that the selfie Conrad mentioned with himself and Flair and Tyson Fury was actually taken in Las Vegas the following week...right before he was fired. - Eric says when the ratings came in, he was surprised. Eric said he thought the ratings would have been higher and thought they would be around 5 Million viewers. - Conrad asks how Eric found out he was fired, and was he shocked? - Eric says he got “one of those late night phone calls” in the middle of the night on Monday October 14, 2019. - Eric says he went into WWE headquarters the next day and was called into a meeting. (Sidenote: If you read between the lines here, it sounds like Eric’s reaction to getting another call in the middle of the night may have resulted in what happened the next day...) - Eric says at this point, he has to be very careful because his Non-Disclosure Agreement specifies that he is not allowed to discuss the details of his termination, so he does not want to violate it. - Eric says he was informed he was fired, and the meeting was “very uncomfortable.” - Eric says he apologized to Vince and told him that he was disappointed that he wasn’t able to deliver what Vince expected of him, and to be the kind of executive that Vince was used to having work for him, or to be the kind of employee Vince needed. - Eric stresses that this was not the kind of firing where there is a lot of animosity or yelling and recriminations and then the employee gets escorted out of the building by security. - Eric repeats that the process more uncomfortable and sad than anything else. - Eric says he was actually asked if he wanted to go and say goodbye to everybody, and he took WWE up on that offer. - Eric said he went around and told everybody that he thought very highly of them and the company, and that he wished everybody and WWE itself all the best. - Eric says the whole process took about 45 minutes, and shortly thereafter one of the first people he called was Conrad. - Eric was home by 11:00 am. - Eric says he walked in the door, and his wife Lori was on the phone. Eric says she looked at him in shock, and when she got off the phone she asked him jokingly: “What are you doing home so early, did you get fired or something?” - Eric's reply was "Yep.” - Eric and Conrad both laughed quite a bit about this. - Eric said Lori was joking, then she realized that he really had been fired. - Eric says Lori was shocked at first, but then she said that she understood this had been coming, since Eric had pretty much warned her it might. - Eric says he touched base with Conrad again, and then spoke to Bruce Prichard. - Eric says he and his wife went out for lunch, and as always his wife was incredibly supportive and positive. Eric says Lori’s first question was: “Okay...so where do we go from here?” - Eric said he spent the next two days just “decompressing” and deciding what to do next. - Conrad asks, did WWE ever explain specifically why they were firing Eric? - Eric reiterates that he is prohibited from repeating the exact terminology in his termination documents and he is not going to do that, but he thinks he can explain it without violating his Non-Disclosure Agreement. However, Eric says he is not embarrassed to discuss this situation and he is not trying to avoid it. - Eric says this was not like the type of firing where there was one particular incident or big confrontation that resulted in his dismissal. - Eric says the best way to describe the reason he was given for being fired by WWE, is that WWE came to view their relationship with Eric Bischoff as “trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.” Eric says that there is nothing wrong with a round hole, and there is nothing wrong with a square peg...until you try and fit them together. - Eric says that he has a hard time understanding why he feels the need to keep saying the same thing over and over again, but once again he is compelled to repeat this...he is grateful to Vince McMahon and WWE for the opportunity. - Eric says if he has to sum up why he was fired, it is because of a lack of chemistry between himself and WWE, and that is all on him. - Eric says he is trying very hard to be clear that he accepts responsibility for the reason he was fired, and he knows some people might get a hold of this interview and try and twist his words or report things “just to get precious clicks” and make it sound like he is angry with WWE or blames them for firing him. - Eric says he has no problem admitting that he made a mistake going back to WWE. - Eric says he couldn’t work in the WWE system, and that is his fault. Eric says he couldn’t expect the WWE system to change to adapt to him, it was Eric’s responsibility to adjust to work within the WWE system, but he failed because he couldn’t do it. - Eric says that from the moment it was announced that he was going to work for WWE there was a lot of sniping and insults directed at him, mostly from Dave Meltzer, before Eric had even started work there. - Eric says he knows that Meltzer has “stooges” on the writing staff in WWE who report things back to Meltzer to be reported in “his shit sheet.” - Eric implies that there might have been some on the writing staff in WWE who weren’t happy that Eric Bischoff had been brought in from outside the company to supervise them, and those writers could get even or try and hurt Bischoff by leaking false stories to Dave Meltzer, and he would automatically print them. - Eric says WWE is aware that there are writers on the WWE writing staff who are leaking information to Dave Meltzer, because Meltzer has reported a few things which only could have come out of private meetings with the writers...nobody else knew the information. - Eric says he is used to having to deal with this type of situation over the past 30 years. When he was President of WCW there were a lot of talent and even executives who used to leak information to Dave Meltzer in order to try and advance their own particular agenda, regardless of the truth. - Eric says he feels very bad because Bruce Prichard stuck his neck out to help Eric, and even Vince went out on a limb hiring him...and Eric didn’t make it work. - Eric repeats that despite of the fact that he feels guilty that he let Bruce and Vince McMahon down, as soon as he was fired he felt “relieved.” - Conrad says he wants to ask a question that might offend Eric. Conrad says he thinks he and Eric are friends so hopefully he won’t be insulted and he’ll understand what Conrad means... - Conrad asks if Eric thinks his age has something to do with why he couldn’t succeed in WWE? Like when Eric took over WCW he was young and full of energy and ideas and was willing to try anything, whereas now he is almost 65 years old and more careful and cautious. - Eric gave this answer some thought, but he replied that no...he doesn’t think that is the case. - Eric says that he actually thinks he has more to offer the Pro Wrestling business now than he did 20 years ago, because he made a lot mistakes when he ran WCW that he has learned from. - Eric says he is capable of delivering much more than he actually did, especially when it comes to creative and storytelling. - Eric says unfortunately, he was never given the chance to apply what he has learned over the past 20-25 years. - Eric says this has nothing to do with him being older. - Eric repeated that WWE is basically a machine, and they have a system. Eric says it is a system which has obviously worked well for them, but when you go to work for WWE you are expected to adapt to work within that system. - Eric says that he discovered that the WWE system is “counter-intuitive to what inspires me” but that is his limitation. - Eric said he knew going into the job that he would be expected to adapt to working within that WWE system, and that is what Vince McMahon expected him to do. - Eric says he underestimated and failed to understand how hard working in WWE was going to be. - Eric takes a kind of weird diversion from the interview here, and talks about how his good friend Sonny Onoo recently had a heart attack and almost died, and how that made Eric reassess his life and what is important. - Eric says he has allowed himself to get into very poor physical condition, and that if Sonny could have a heart attack considering what great shape he is in, then Eric could too. Eric says that he very aware that he is 65 years old and “the clock is ticking.” - Eric says ever since he was fired by WWE he has been concentrating on getting into better physical condition and he has been working out like a madman. Eric says that he has been spending a lot of time on a treadmill, and when he exercises it stimulates his endorphins and give him a high...almost like the first time he tried cocaine. - Conrad bursts out laughing at this. - Eric admits he tried cocaine and that the first couple of times you take it, it feels amazing but then it is never as good, and you have to keep taking more and more and that is why it is such a dangerous drug. - Eric says that he spends a couple of hours a day on a treadmill, and he knows that after about an hour-and-a-half, the endorphins kick in. Eric says he loves that feeling, and it provides him with a clarity of thought and great creative ideas. - Eric says he loves the creative process, sitting in a room with good creative ideas and creative people, sharing different concepts and stories and coming up with something interesting. - Eric says that creative process is “fucking fun” but in WWE, that never happened for him. - Eric says that he has remained on good terms with Vince McMahon since he was fired. He says he and Vince have texted back and forth a few times, and spoken on the phone. - Eric says since he was fired he was even been back to work on projects for the WWE Network, like a Dennis Rodman special. Eric says he knows he will do more projects with WWE in the future. - Eric says he has to be honest and admit that being fired by WWE hurt him. - Eric says he hates when people use the term “brand” but in his case, the Eric Bischoff brand “took a hit.” - Eric says he will back working in some creative capacity somewhere, and his career is not finished. - Conrad asks if Eric is worried how this whole situation affected his legacy in the Pro Wrestling business? - Before Eric can answer, Conrad says that Eric gets credit for how he turned around WCW and helped create the nWo. Conrad says that when it was announced that Eric was going to work for WWE, the first reaction of a lot of people was to mock the work Eric did while he was in TNA, and that should probably be the topic of a future interview. - Conrad says that when Eric was fired so quickly be WWE, a lot of the Eric Bischoff haters took delight in that and basically “took a victory lap.” - Conrad says that bothered him because a lot of people seem to confuse Eric Bischoff with the character he played when he was on screen in WCW. Conrad says that Eric Bischoff is a human being, and a real guy. - Conrad asks if all that bothers Eric? - Eric says no, it doesn’t really bother him. Eric admits it aggravates him at times, but he doesn’t let it worry him. - Eric says he is not worried about what his legacy is going to be and he never has worried about that. - Eric says he knows he has had some great success in his life, but he also knows he has had some terrible failures and that is just part of working in the entertainment business. - Eric says that there are very few movie directors out there who have directed nothing but hit movies. There are no actors or actresses who have always starred in hit films and never appeared in a “flop.” There are no writers or producers who have had every project they have ever been involved in turn out to be a hit. - This is the business, it is what it is and he accepted it a long time ago. - Eric says when he gets criticized by people, it is by people who are on the “lower end of the food chain” and don’t actually contribute anything positive. - Eric says the only thing that bothers him is when people like Dave Meltzer report something that is blatantly and provably untrue, but for some reason his readers just automatically accept it and believe it. - Eric says that at one point, 40% of people polled in the United States thought you could get the Coronavirus from drinking Corona Beer...because they saw it on Facebook. Eric says Corona actually had to come out and make a statement that it wasn’t true...but somebody had said that it was, so some people believed it. - Eric says Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alverez are nothing more than “jock sniffers” who need stooges to give them their false information. - Conrad groaned loudly at this statement. - Eric says that with AEW, at least Meltzer and his cronies are getting access and inside information directly from the management, instead of relying on stooges like they did when WCW was around. - Conrad says this interview has been very interesting for him, and asks Eric for his final thoughts on his run in WWE. - Eric says he is glad he did it, and met a lot of people that he made friends with and is going to stay in touch with. - Eric says that after he was fired, one of the first people to reach out to him was Kevin Dunn, who doesn’t have the best reputation socially in the business. - Eric says he learned a lot more about himself, especially about what he is capable of and what he is and isn’t willing to do for money. - Eric says he is still pulling for WWE, and for AEW for that matter. - Eric says he has no hard feelings, and that he can see himself sitting down for a beer with Vince McMahon one day, and for Vince to say: “Goddamn pal...that was a bad idea.” - Eric says he is glad he tried. - Conrad says he is glad they did this interview, and that he hopes this is not the last we’ve seen of Eric Bischoff working in Pro Wrestling. - Eric says he thinks “that train has pretty much left the station...but you know what they say, never say never.” End of Interview

I just want to say that I am incredibly jealous that you got to see The Midnight Express with Jim Cornette vs. Barry Windham and Ronnie Garvin live. I was a fan during that era and went to live shows all the time, but because I live in Toronto, JCP never ran shows up here. All we got was WWF shows. By the time WCW starting running shows in Toronto, it was the early 90's, not the peak 85-89 era. So you got to see stuff like this...and I got Hulk Hogan vs. Killer Khan.

Agreed. Do you remember when The Sandman went to WCW in 1999? After he left WCW in October 99, he made a surprise return to ECW to save Tommy Dreamer from a beating from the Impact Players, in ECW arena. The crowd reaction was absolutely insane. I've heard Lance Storm say that was hands down the loudest crowd reaction he's ever heard or witnessed. The whole reason the crowd went so nuts is because the arena light went out, and Enter Sandman started playing. When they show that clip on the WWE Network, they have edited out the music, which totally kills the whole thing. Sometimes, the music is almost a big a part of the moment as the action.

Ad Free Shows Exclusive edition of 83 Weeks: March 28, 2020 "Eric Leaves WWE" Part Two: Executive Director of Smackdown - Conrad says that he understands Eric Bischoff does not (or likely cannot) discuss the financial terms of his return to WWE, but Conrad is curious regarding the other details of Eric’s new contract. Specifically, was he originally just hired to come in as an executive, or did he know coming in that he was hired for the task of being the new Executive Director of Smackdown? - Eric says Vince McMahon had made it very clear during their second meeting exactly what his job title, duties and responsibilities would be going in to his new position. - Conrad says the reason he asks is because he knows that job titles and labels really don’t seem to mean much to Eric. Conrad asks exactly what did Vince McMahon tell Eric his new job was going to be? - Eric said his title was Executive Director, and that was a brand new role that was being created when Smackdown debuted on Fox. Eric says his primary job responsibilities were two-fold. His main job was to be the supervisor of the Smackdown writing staff, and be the liaison between them and Vince McMahon. His other job would be to supervise marketing, branding, digital media and public relations for Smackdown as they moved to Fox. Eric says the only aspect of the Smackdown brand that he was not supposed to be supervising was Live Events. - Eric says that it was reported by the dirt sheets and most Pro Wrestling news websites that Eric Bischoff had been hired to be actively involved in the creative process for Smackdown, but that was never the case. Eric says Vince McMahon was very specific that he did not want Eric Bischoff coming up with stories or angles of his own...he was just supposed to oversee the creative team and report back to Vince McMahon. - Conrad asked why there was a gap in between the time Eric was hired and when he actually started work. Conrad asks (already knowing the answer, I assume) if the reason for the delay was due to family responsibilities. - Eric pointed out that he had certain events and responsibilities he was legally booked for, before he took the job with WWE. He basically said he couldn’t just drop everything and start work for WWE because he had obligations. Secondly, Eric pointed out that the process of closing your house up and moving all your stuff across the country takes some time. Eric said when he left, he thought he was leaving for a couple of years. - Eric admits that WWE did want him to start work pretty much right away, but due to his commitments he wasn’t able to start work until July 20, 2019. - Conrad asks about Eric’s new home, and if WWE arranged it? - Eric confirms that WWE owns several corporate apartments, and that WWE arranged all of that for him. Eric says the apartment was okay, but in the end “it was a corporate fucking apartment” and that going from a 5,000 square foot ranch house on 23 acres in Wyoming to a corporate apartment in Connecticut next to the University of Connecticut, in downtown Stamford was a big adjustment for he and his wife. - Eric says that before the move he thought he was capable of adapting to pretty much anything, but adjusting to life in Connecticut after living on his ranch in Wyoming was very tough for him, much harder than he had expected. Eric says it made him feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable. - Eric says when he began on July 20, 2019 he started work at 9:30 am and had to undergo orientation. - Eric says his apartment was only 10 minutes away from WWE Headquarters so the commute was easy. - Eric says for his first two weeks, all he did was attend meetings with the different WWE department heads and get familiar with the inner workings of WWE, and learning which department was responsible for what, and who answered to who. - Eric says his first 3-6 weeks in the job was nothing but meetings, he didn’t even have a meeting with the creative team until almost before he was fired. - Conrad asks if it was a major adjustment for Eric to go from working at home, for himself and being his own boss to having to put a suit on and go to endless meetings. - Eric said that Bruce Prichard had warned him specifically that he would have to attend so many meetings that he would end up being overwhelmed and feel he was “trying to drink water from a fire hose.” Eric says that he found that analogy hilarious and it ended up being absolutely true. - Eric says that (aside from not being sure that he even really wanted the job when he took it) this is where he made a major mistake that might have cost him this job. - Eric says that when he worked for Turner Broadcasting, Bill Shaw had complemented on him on his ability to work to the specifics of whoever he answered to, and adapt to changing job requirements. Eric says he has always prided himself on his ability to adapt, thrive and give his employers what they want. - Eric says going into the WWE he seriously overestimated his own ability to adjust to working for WWE and adapt to such a radical change of environment. - Eric pointed out that after WCW was sold to WWE, he had basically been his own boss for almost 20 years. Eric says that he had become “set in his ways” and used to his own way of doing things. - Eric says that he has come to realize, mostly due to self-reflection after getting fired by WWE, that he has really changed over the past 20 years since he was President of WCW. Eric says he radically underestimated his own ability to work within the corporate environment of WWE. - Eric says that more than anything, what he didn’t realize is that he doesn’t work well within a corporate environment anymore...he is too used to working on his own and not having to work within that type of culture. - Eric pointed out that, “make no mistake about it” in the end, WWE is a massive money making machine. - Eric says that even though he had competed against Vince McMahon in business, and even though he had worked for WWE as a talent, that he never really understood the magnitude of the corporate environment in WWE. Eric says becoming part of the WWE corporate culture was really overwhelming. - Eric says that part of the problem is that when he arrived in July 2019, they were planning on resetting the “brand split” and doing a draft to separate the rosters of Raw and Smackdown before Smackdown moved to Fox...but literally nobody in management except for Vince McMahon knew what that meant and how that was going to affect their jobs or responsibilities. - Eric says that the management team and everybody else was basically sitting on “pins and needles” waiting for the announcement of the draft results and how that would affect them personally. - Eric says that just prior to his arrival, there had been some major changes to the creative team on Smackdown and the writing team and talent were still having a hard time adjusting to those changes when he arrived. - Eric says there was a serious “lack of synchronicity” going on in WWE management when he arrived. He says it wasn’t quite total chaos...but it was close. Basically, Vince McMahon knew what he wanted and what he was planning on doing, but he rarely shared that information with anybody until the very last minute. - Eric said that he was kept so busy going to business meetings, he barely got to attend meetings of the creative team. Eric said he was still trying to get a feeling for who was on the creative team...but it didn’t really matter because he knew the team was going to split up once the draft happened. - Eric says that he knew that after the draft, both he and Paul Heyman knew that they were going to be assigned their own writing teams for their own respective shows, but Eric and Paul Heyman had no idea who those people were going to be, when it was going to happen, and they were given no input on the decision. Both Bischoff and Heyman had particular writers they wanted assigned to their respective teams, but nobody asked for their opinions or input. - Eric reiterates that he was not expected to influence the creative direction of Smackdown, but only to ask questions and then take the information back to Vince McMahon. - Eric says that the Smackdown writing staff consisted of about 10-12 writers and he was slowly to trying to get to know them all and their strengths and weakness...but as he said, some of that was pointless because he knew at some point before Smackdown debuted, the writing teams were going to be changed. - Eric said it was very hard for him to make an accurate assessment of the creative team because of the uncertainty regarding the draft. - Eric says that the whole situation was very challenging and frustrating. - Eric points out that although WWE had split their two brands previously, this situation was going to be totally different and maybe not everybody understands that. - Eric says the deal with Smackdown moving to Fox meant that each brand had to have their own separate team and different structure, because both brands were now answering to totally different networks. - Eric says Fox and USA had totally different relationships with WWE. WWE had a longstanding relationship with the USA network and both sides were familiar with each other. Fox had a totally different management structure and different expectations of WWE. - Eric says the relationship between WWE and Fox was going to be totally different from the relationship WWE had with the USA Network. - Eric says that Fox had an expectation that their relationship with WWE would just like the relationship between a Television Network and any other Television program, whereas the WWE/USA relationship was much more collaborative. - Eric says one of the major differences is that Fox was very insistent that Smackdown have their own dedicated management team and especially their own dedicated roster, and Fox did not want any of those people also working for the USA Network, and they especially did not want talent that was working for Fox showing up on any other networks. - Eric said that WWE was not used to that kind of relationship with a TV Network and WWE found it very challenging and it caused a lot of pressure. - Eric says one of the problems was that the majority of the writing staff in WWE lived in New York City and commuted to WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. The writers took the train to work from New York, and as a result most of them did not arrive for work until around 10:30 am. - Eric says that with very few exceptions, he would be working at WWE headquarters until 10:00 pm at the earliest. - Eric says that 2-3 days a week, he ended up getting home as late as 3:00 – 4:00 am. - Conrad sounds surprised at that. - Eric says that part of the job was actually not a problem for him, as he was used to putting in those kinds of hours. - Eric says for some reason, while he was working for WWE there was a narrative in the dirt sheets and Pro Wrestling online media that he was “lazy” but that was totally untrue. Eric says he put in extremely long hours when he was in WWE, and that is a provable fact. - Eric says he usually worked a 14-16 hour day. - Eric reiterates that the long hours didn’t bother him...what bothered him was the “downtime.” - Eric says that during his long days thete was far too much “dead time” when nothing was getting done. - Conrad asks why? - Eric is very hesitant at this point and is clearly trying to be diplomatic. After Conrad prods him, Eric says: “Let me put it this way...I wasn’t in charge of my own schedule.” - Eric says that he found working 14-16 hour days with endless meetings punctuated by long periods of time sitting around waiting for approval to work, was “sucking the life out of him.” - Eric says that conversely, Paul Heyman had no problem whatsoever working within the WWE corporate system, and that compared to Bischoff, Paul Heyman was “a fucking rock star.” - Eric says that in the 4 month period he worked for WWE he gained so much more respect for Paul Heyman. Eric says he really respects how Paul Heyman is able to work within the WWE system and not only endure it, and survive. Eric says Paul Heyman knows how to overcome the challenges of working within the WWE system. (Sidenote: Keep in mind...at the time of this interview, Paul Heyman had not yet been fired from his own Executive Director’s job with WWE.) - Eric reiterates how much respect he gained for Paul Heyman and his abilities, and one of his biggest regrets is that he didn’t get to work more with Heyman. - Eric says that he is also very disappointed that he never got the chance to work with Bruce Prichard, and that is one of the reasons he took the WWE job in the first place, to work with his friend. - Eric says at the same time that he was having all his challenges in WWE, Bruce was trying to sell his family home in Houston and move his family permanently to Connecticut, and also Bruce and members of his family were having major health problems. - Eric says that he met with Paul Heyman after his first meeting with Vince McMahon, before he had been offered the job after his second meeting. - Eric says Paul Heyman figured out pretty quick that Vince was planning on bringing Eric on board, and that Paul was very excited about it. - Eric says that once the Smackdown writing team was defined, right before the debut on Fox he finally knew who he was going to be working with. Eric says there wasn’t one person on that creative team that he didn’t like and didn’t want to work with. - Eric wants to make it clear that he got along great with everybody on the Smackdown creative team and he has nothing but respect for all of them. His relationship with the writing staff has nothing to do with the reason he was fired. Eric says he would never criticize such a group of “hardworking, dedicated and talented people.” - Eric says he has actually stayed in touch with a number of the Smackdown creative team since he left WWE. - Conrad asks how this whole situation affected Eric’s wife Lori Bischoff? - Eric says he is glad brought that up. - Eric says he is so lucky to be with his wife. - Eric talks at length about the history of his relationship with his wife, how they met when they were both professional models in downtown Chicago. - Eric says every time he has had to move due to work, from Chicago to Minneapolis, to Arizona, to wherever...his wife has always been totally adaptable and been right there with him, supporting him. - Eric says wherever they went, Lori found a way to enjoy it. - Eric says as much as he and Lori love their home and their life in Wyoming, there were things that they did miss about living in a big city or urban center. Eric says he and Lori love fine dining in great restaurants, and the arts and museums...and obviously they did not have much access to any of those things living in rural Wyoming. - Eric says that the idea of being so close to New York City was definitely one of the reasons he took the job. Eric points out that if you look at his career, he has spent very little time on the East Coast and both he and his wife were looking forward to everything New York had to offer, since it was only an hour from their home by car. Eric and Lori wanted to “explore” New York. - Eric said that he Lori had planned to fly their children in for Christmas and have the holiday in New York City. Eric says that was very exciting. - Eric says Lori kept very busy during this time. Eric points out that his wife is a published author and “life coach” who had her own established business, most of which she was able to do remotely. Eric says his wife was looking forward to seeing how their new proximity to New York could help grow her already established business. - Eric says his wife was very positive during this entire process, so worrying about his wife’s happiness was not one of the challenges. - Eric says that when his schedule ended up involving him getting home at 3:00 or 4:00 am and crawling into bed, and then having to get up the next morning to be back in the office by 9:30 am was definitely challenging for Lori, but she never complained or didn’t support him. - Eric says that he did have weekends off to spend with his wife...technically. - Eric says that even though he was not expected to be in the office on weekends, he was required to have his phone with him at all times, and it was not unusual for Vince McMahon to call him regarding something work related in the middle of the night. - Eric says when you work for WWE, you are “tethered” to the business constantly. - Conrad asks for an example. - Eric says that he cannot get into the details about any of the reasons that he would receive a late night call, because discussing the particular information about any drafts, or contracts or scripts that were being sent back and forth on weekends or in the middle of the night would violate his NDA. - Eric says that when he was hired he was given a very strict warning that he must never turn his cell phone off, and that part of his job expectations was to always answer his phone, no matter what. - Eric says he was prepared for that, and worried about it more than he should have. Eric says that it didn’t happen all the time, but it did happen. - Eric says that the fact that when you work for WWE you are “never off duty” is something that he knew going in, but he underestimated the impact it was going to have on him. - Eric said he was fine with being asked to work 16 hour days, but he thinks it would have been nice if he could have been given just one day, like Sunday...where he could not worry about work and could spend quality time with his wife. - Eric says that never happens. - Eric says that if you ever see a picture of the corporate WWE jet, you will see the registration number painted on the jet: “WWE247” and there is a reason for that. “It’s not just a cool thing to say...it’s 24/7 when you work for WWE.” - Conrad says it’s time to talk about when the wheels started to come off... To be continued. Next time...

Thanks very much brothers, I really appreciate it. Like I said before, I don't mind doing this as long as I know people are actually reading them. I just didn't want to go to all the trouble if people weren't interested.