Eric Bischoff sat down on his podcast special ‘83 Weeks With Eric Bischoff‘ with Conrad Thompson, discussing his first year with the WWE. During the conversation, Bischoff went into great detail about his relationship with current WWE COO Triple H. Their time dated back to the mid-1990s in WCW, as Triple H (then known as Terra Ryzin’) as they weren’t too sociable together, but their interaction was always cordial.
The interview also focused on their reunion in WWE in 2002, including the controversial title awarding of the World Heavyweight Championship to Triple H on RAW.
Here are a few highlights from the podcast, which can be listened to below (h/t to Wrestling Inc.):
Bischoff on initially meeting Triple H:
“When Hunter came in it was at a time in WCW when we were really cutting costs. Expenses were a really big issue, I think it was Terry Taylor who first introduced Hunter to us. My biggest concern with him was that he lived in the Northeast. At that point things were so tight financially that we were looking to concentrate on the talent that lived in Atlanta, Georgia because we couldn’t afford to fly people all over the country, so that was one big issue.”
On Triple H parting ways with WCW amicably:
“He grew up watching the WWF. He was from the Northeast, that is what he grew up watching and that is what his goal was, and I don’t think there was anything going on in WCW at the time that was going to make him change his mind about his goal. And when the time came, he was ready to move on. There wasn’t any tension, argument or anything like that, but his contract was up. We made him a little bit more of an offer to stay but he had already made up his mind that he wanted to go take a shot in WWF and we parted ways, and that was really it.”
Bischoff on presenting the World Title to Hunter and how it could’ve been bigger:
“As it was, it was kind of a smarmy little move. It was okay because as a heel it worked for me and they were trying to position Hunter as a heel, I guess. He wasn’t a very good heel in my opinion, but he was trying. It worked okay, but I remember thinking when it was over that we kind of missed the heat here if they had spent a little more time and became a little more committed to taking advantage of me and who I was and my history with WCW.
Now, introducing this belt, and if they had turned the volume up just a little bit more than they did instead of it being a throwaway segment, I think it could have been, maybe, I don’t like to look backwards, but I think it could have been a much bigger moment and it could have led to a much bigger story. And it did, but like I said it was just a throwaway segment.”
