Who is WWE Executive Producer Eric Bischoff on the wrestling documentary Who Killed WCW?

ERIC Bischoff is best known as a television producer and professional wrestling booker.

A new documentary explores the WCW timeline, including Bischoff’s influence.

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Who is it Eric Bischoff?

Eric Bischoff found fame serving as executive producer and on-screen roles for WCW.

He stood up to WWE and its CEO Vince McMahon in the infamous Monday Night Wars, a ratings competition that took place in the late 1990s.

He was born Eric Aaron Bischoff on May 27, 1955 in Detroit, Michigan.

Before entering professional wrestling in the late 1980s, he had several occupations, including: actor, owned a landscaping company, veterinary assistant and sold meat out of a truck.

Mike Johnson of Pro Wrestling Insider wrote, “His place in history is this and will always be this – he is the only person who has come along and kicked Vince McMahon hard enough to force the WWF product to evolve and improve.

“It doesn’t matter if he won the ratings for 83 weeks or one week, his legacy is that he made a change for the better in professional wrestling in the mid-1990s.”

He began his wrestling career in 1987 under Verne Gagne’s AWA. He would later join WCW after a failed tryout with WWE (then WWF).

In 1991, WCW hired Bischoff as an announcer, but he would soon be promoted to Executive Producer and then Senior Vice President.

What was Eric Bischoff’s role in WWE and WCW’s ‘Monday Night Wars’?

The Monday Night Wars was a ratings competition between the WWF and WCW from 1995-2001.

Bischoff helped develop the vision for WCW’s flagship program Nitro, which airs at the same time as WWE’s flagship Monday Night RAW.

He was also the brains behind the iconic New World Order (NWO) faction, the original members being former WWF stars. Scott Hall, Kevin NashIt is Hulk Hogan.

The NWO helped Nitro beat RAW in the ratings for 83 consecutive weeks.

During this time, he used tactics such as spoiling the results of WWE matches because the show did not air live.

He also convinced WWE Hall of Famer Alundra Blayze(known as Medusa in WCW) to appear on Nitro and throw her belt in the trash on live TV.

This caused McMahon and WWF to strategize on how to beat the competition and the Attitude Era was born.

Soon after, RAW’s ratings began to climb, and at the same time, internal problems began to plague Bischoff’s WCW.

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In 1999, the Detroit native was replaced by former WWF writer Vince Russo, who claimed to be the brains behind the WWF’s Attitude Era.

This did not help the ratings decline and Bischoff was brought back to WCW until the company folded in 2001.

When was Eric Bischoff in WWE?

After McMahon purchased WCW for a supposedly low price, Bischoff shocked fans when he made a surprise entrance to RAW in 2002.

He was hired as General Manager of RAW, where he feuded against Cold Stone Steve Austin, John CenaStephanie McMahon and Paul Heyman.

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He worked at the company until 2005, making appearances in the following two years.

Bischoff would later return to WWE in June 2019 as Executive Director of SmackDown.

In October of the same year it was announced that he was leaving the company and was replaced by Heyman.

What was Eric Bischoff’s role in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)?

Following his WWE stint, Bischoff moved to a new company, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and made his debut in 2010.

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He served as an on-screen talent and executive producer for Impact Wrestling.

In 2013, Bischoff was sent home to terminate the remainder of his contract after a dispute and even sued TNA over unpaid wages.

“For the most part, it’s very regrettable” and “looking back, I wish I hadn’t done it, with one or two exceptions.” he said of his run in TNA.

What is Eric Bischoff doing now?

When the ‘King of Controversy’ wasn’t working in wrestling, he was developing reality shows with his production company Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment.

In 2011, he developed a brewery in Cody, Wyoming called Buffalo Bill Cody Beer.

After abandoning his MLW podcast show Bischoff on Wrestling due to being scammed, he began working on 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff with Conrad Thompson.

The iconic rise and fall of WCW is one of the most captivating stories in professional wrestling – full of big dreams, big successes, heartbreaking failures and the harsh realities of the professional wrestling business.

Dwayne Johnson

A new documentary has been released that tells the story of WCW and was produced by Dwayne Johnson.

The synopsis for Who Killed WCW? says: “The series, which premieres on June 4, will explore the complex factors that led to the promotion’s downfall, including management challenges, creative decisions and the intense competition during the infamous Monday Night Wars.

“It will feature exclusive, in-depth interviews with wrestlers, executives and insiders and shed never-before-seen light on the personal stories and struggles of those who lived through the rise and fall of WCW.”

Speaking to Deadline, Dwayne Johnson said the organization inspired his own wrestling career.

He said: “The iconic rise and fall of WCW is one of professional wrestling’s most captivating stories – full of big dreams, big successes, heartbreaking failures and the harsh realities of the professional wrestling business.”