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.png) Bischoff in 2011 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Eric Aaron Bischoff (1955-05-27)May 27, 1955 (age 70) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Spouses | |
| Children | 2; includingGarett |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Eric Bischoff |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 195 lb (88 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Detroit, Michigan[1] |
| Debut | 1982 |
| Retired | 2014 |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Genre | Professional wrestling |
| Subscribers | 146 thousand |
| Views | 25.2 million |
| Last updated: August 22, 2025 | |
Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an Americantelevision producer,professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. Currently, he is the chief media officer forReal American Freestyle. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Senior Vice President ofWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) and subsequently, the on-screenGeneral Manager ofWWE'sRawbrand. Bischoff has also worked withTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) where he served as Executive Producer ofTNA iMPACT!. He was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
With an amateur background inmartial arts, Bischoff also sporadically performed as an in-ring competitor, becoming aone-timeWCW Hardcore Champion,[3] and headlining the1998 Road Wild pay-per-view event, teaming with"Hollywood" Hulk Hogan againstDiamond Dallas Page andJay Leno. He wrote anautobiography titledControversy Creates Cash, which was released in 2006 underWWE Books,[4] and a second book, titledGrateful, which was released in 2022.
Bischoff was born on May 27, 1955, inDetroit, Michigan, and attended Dort Elementary School in suburbanRoseville. In 1968, the family moved toPenn Hills, Pennsylvania.[5] Bischoff is ofGerman andScottish descent.[6] Before getting into professional wrestling, Bischoff had a number of occupations. He acted in a training video for bank employees regarding fair lending practices, owned a successful landscape construction company, worked as aveterinary assistant, competed as aprofessional kickboxer, and ran abutcher shop, where he sold meat via van delivery.Hulk Hogan would famously refer to this time in his life during hisheel promo at the end of the 1996 WCWpay-per-view eventBash at the Beach inDaytona Beach, Florida, saying, "If it wasn't for Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff would still be selling meat from a truck inMinneapolis."[7]
Bischoff started in wrestling working for theMinneapolis, Minnesota basedAmerican Wrestling Association (AWA) in 1987 under the ownership ofVerne Gagne. In 1989, Bischoff would become an on-air interviewer and host of the AWA until the company folded in 1991. Bischoff at first worked in the sales department on theAWA's syndicated programming, and became an on-air personality virtually by accident and at the last minute. Larry Nelson, whom at the time was employed by the AWA as an announcer, was arrested under suspicion of aDUI.[8] Because of Nelson's sudden unavailability, Verne Gagne and his son,Greg opted to recruit Bischoff (who initially had no desire to be in front of the camera) to fill-in on the interviews. Bischoff believed they thought he would be a good replacement due to his immediate availability in the television studio, and the fact that he was already wearing a suit and tie.
During the gradual demise of the AWA, the company was unable to meet payroll, and Bischoff auditioned for an announcer's position with theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1990 but was not hired. During his audition, Bischoff was asked to do an on-camera interview to a broom, which Bischoff would later consider a huge embarrassment for himself.
In his autobiographyControversy Creates Cash, Bischoff mentions working in his office during his time in the AWA when he had heard a legitimate fight outside of his door. He said he had looked up just in time to see wrestlerThe Sheik's head come breaking through the wall. He said despite this, the Sheik continued the fight while a stunned Bischoff looked on.
In 1991, Bischoff joinedWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) as aC-show announcer, recognized by many as “B-dawg on the C-show”, debuting atThe Great American Bash. As an announcer, Bischoff reported to producerTony Schiavone and WCW's Vice President of Broadcasting,Jim Ross. In 1993, after WCW Vice President of Wrestling Operations and marketingBill Watts resigned from WCW, Bischoff went toTBS executive and WCW President Bill Shaw and WCW Executive Vice President Bob Dhue to apply for the job of Executive Producer. Ross and Schiavone seemed to be the two top candidates, however, Bischoff was hired in Watts' place.[9] Schiavone remained a producer and commentator until WCW's demise, but Ross was granted his release from WCW and went to work for the WWF.[10] Initially, Bischoff and Dhue worked together as partners, but frequently clashed over the direction of WCW.
In 1994, Bischoff was promoted from Executive Producer to Senior Vice President, putting him in charge of everything WCW. Dhue resigned, as did event manager Don Sandefeur and junior vice presidentJim Barnett. Bischoff convinced Turner executives to better finance WCW in order to compete with the WWF. He moved WCW production toDisney-MGM Studios inOrlando, Florida.Hulk Hogan, who was filming a show calledThunder in Paradise at Disney-MGM Studios, was approached by Bischoff andRic Flair and signed to a contract with WCW. He also invested money in production values and increased the number of WCWpay-per-views (first seven a year, then 10, and then once a month). He also started a weekly live program onTNT,WCW Monday Nitro, that went directly against WWF's flagshipMonday Night Raw. Bischoff remained an announcer onNitro, regularly spoilingRaw results (as the latter show was not always aired live) to boost ratings. This created what became known amongst fans as theMonday Night War, as both WCW and WWF fought for viewers and in the process kick-started a new level of mainstream popularity for pro wrestling. The changes paid off, and in 1995, WCW turned a profit for the first time in WCW's history. By 1997, Bischoff's official job title was President of World Championship Wrestling.
In 1996, Bischoff signed WWF superstarScott Hall, better known at the time as "Razor Ramon". Two weeks later onNitro, Hall was joined byKevin Nash, most previously known as "Diesel" in the WWF, to become "The Outsiders". Bischoff intentionally depicted the duo as WWF rebels who were not under contract to WCW. To avoid legal action by the WWF, Bischoff in aworked interview atThe Great American Bash, asked point blank if they worked for the WWF, which both Hall and Nash denied. The Outsiders expanded and became theNew World Order (nWo) when perennialfan-favorite Hulk Hoganaligned himself with the Outsiders in July 1996.
The nWo was depicted as a rival company engaging in a "hostile takeover" of WCW. Week to week, the angle grew more complex, with a mixture of main-eventers, mid-carders, executives, referees, managers, and announcers involved in various subplots related to the onscreen "WCW vs nWo" power-struggle. Led by the nWo storyline, WCW overtook the WWF as the number one wrestling promotion in America withNitro defeatingRaw in theratings by a wide margin for 83 consecutive weeks. During this era, Bischoff moved from his role as commentator and joined the nWo as amanager. His television character, dubbed "Eazy E" by Hall ("Sleazy E" by the WCW commentators), became a dictator and egomaniac as the nWo boss. In the summer of 1998, Bischoff hosted aTonight Show like segment on WCW programming withMiss Elizabeth.Ted DiBiase has said in shoot interviews that Bischoff originally hired DiBiase to be the spokesperson and financial backer for the nWo, but when the nWo was getting to be a more prominent storyline, Bischoff replaced DiBiase as nWo spokesperson.
When the WWF rebranded their product as "WWF Attitude" and began to focus on new superstars such asStone Cold Steve Austin,Mick Foley, andThe Rock, and made owner/longtime announcerVince McMahon into a character, this eventually resulted in a ratings turnaround for WWF. On April 13, 1998, WWF ended WCW's year and a half run on top of the ratings war. Despite losing in the ratings to WWF, WCW continued to post strong ratings, attendance, and PPV buyrates throughout 1998. In 1998, WCW built one of its most popular homegrown superstars inBill Goldberg, and gave him the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on July 6, 1998, at theGeorgia Dome in front of 39,919 people onNitro.
In late 1998 he feuded withRic Flair. Bischoff defeated Flair atStarrcade and the next night lost to Flair onNitro.
In early 1999, Bischoff promoted Kevin Nash to head booker. Despite Goldberg drawing at the box office and doing three shows in December and January that did nearly a $1 million gate, the decision was made to end Goldberg's undefeated streak and put the belt on Nash. On the January 4Nitro, at the Georgia Dome, Nash dropped the title to Hogan in a match that became known as theFingerpoke of Doom, and the nWo was rebranded. By March ratings began dropping, and WCW began experiencing an endless streak of ratings losses.
Throughout 1999, Bischoff reverted to focusing on aging WCW stars such as Hogan,Diamond Dallas Page,Randy Savage,Sting,Rowdy Roddy Piper, Nash,Ric Flair, andSid Vicious. In an effort to improve ratings, WCW also began to focus heavily on several celebrities such asMaster P.,Chad Brock,Megadeth,Dennis Rodman, andKiss. One of the last deals Bischoff structured was a deal with the members of the rock band Kiss to have their own wrestling character known asThe Kiss Demon.
By late 1999, WCW began losing around $5 million a month. Attendance, PPV buys and ratings were down significantly. On September 10, 1999, the decision was made to relieve Bischoff of power.
On September 10, 1999, Bischoff was relieved of his management position with WCW byTurner Sports chiefHarvey Schiller. The job title "President of WCW" was eliminated. He was replaced with WCW Vice President of Strategic Planning Bill Busch, who was named Senior Vice President (handling the creative side of the company with Brad Siegel handling the day-to-day operations). One of Busch's first acts in charge was the additions of former WWF head writerVince Russo and his colleagueEd Ferrara (both of whom had worked onRaw when the show began to overtakeNitro in the ratings) to head up WCW's creative direction.[11]
In April 2000, Bischoff returned as an on-air character alongside Russo to lead the heel factionThe New Blood; Bischoff also worked on writing the shows with Russo during this time. He defeatedTerry Funk for theWCW Hardcore Championship on June 6. Bischoff's last on-camera role in WCW was on the June 12, 2000Nitro. He would exit WCW in July 2000 atBash at the Beach, when Russo did aworked-shoot promo on Hulk Hogan.
On January 11, 2001, with WCW facing major financial woes, Siegel accepted Bischoff's offer to purchase WCW.[12] Bischoff and Fusient briefly withdrew their offer when the WWF made an inquiry on WCW (due to the terms of a settlement, WWF had a right to bid on WCW's properties, should they ever be up forliquidation). When then-WWF broadcasterViacom objected (fearing a WWF-owned show on a competing network), the Bischoff-Fusient consortium signed a new letter of intent.
However, the new head ofTurner Broadcasting,Jamie Kellner then canceled all WCW programming due to losing money for several years from its television networks. WCW lost $60 million in 2000 alone.[13] Kellner believed that wrestling did not fit the demographics of either TBS or TNT and would not be favorable enough to get the "right" advertisers to buy airtime (even thoughThunder was the highest-rated show on TBS at the time).[14][15] In the bookNITRO: The Incredible Rise and Inevitable Collapse of Ted Turner's WCW by Guy Evans, it is said that a key condition in WCW's purchase deal with Fusient was that Fusient wanted control over time slots on the TNT and TBS networks, regardless of whether these slots would show WCW programming or not. This influenced Kellner's decision to ultimately cancel WCW programming.[16] With no network on which to air its programming, WCW was of little value to Fusient, whose offer depended on being able to continue to air WCW programming on the Turner networks. Bischoff stated that "it made absolutely no sense for us to do the deal under those circumstances."[17] With WCW programming canceled (and Viacom subsequently no longer objecting), WCW's key assets (tape library, trademarks, and selected contracts) were purchased by the WWF in March 2001 for a substantially lower price (approximately US$3.5 million) than what had been offered.
In 2002, Bischoff was hired byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE, formerly WWF) to be thegeneral manager ofRaw. Although primarily an on-screen role, Bischoff had a wide range of contacts within WWE to whom he could pitch creative ideas.[18] He debuted as the firstRaw general manager on the July 15 episode ofRaw. He resurrected his characteristic brand of smarminess with the general manager position, again playing the arrogant heel character he had employed as the nWo boss in WCW. During his debut onRaw, he told the audience about how he was president of WCW, creator of the nWo and how he forcedVince McMahon to change the ways he does business.[19] Bischoff is in second place of the longest reigns as general manager in WWE history, with three years in total. Former rival and former general manager ofSmackDownTheodore Long surpassed Bischoff's record with a combined number of six years. Bischoff's wrestling innovations in WWE included the "Raw Roulette" and theElimination Chamber, as well asfeuds withStone Cold Steve Austin,Shane McMahon,John Cena,SmackDown! general managerStephanie McMahon, and formerExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) ownerPaul Heyman. On June 15 atBad Blood, Bischoff appeared during a segment along with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mae Young where she stripped herself in the ring and shared a passionate kiss with Eric Bischoff and performed a bronco buster on Bischoff before being stunned by Austin.[20] AtTaboo Tuesday, Bischoff had his head shaved after failing to beat his (kayfabe) nephewEugene.[21] Bischoff then began a face turn after his head got shaved. He favored face wrestlers such asRandy Orton,Chris Benoit andChris Jericho. By the end of 2004, Bischoff subsequently took a vacation after allowing Randy Orton'sSurvivor Series team to become general managers for up to four weeks with every member being the general manager once a week.[22]
On the May 16, 2005 episode ofRaw, Bischoff began a vendetta against an impendingECWrevival, turning heel once again in the process.[23] Bischoff later began a feud withJohn Cena (who was drafted to Raw in the2005 WWE Draft Lottery), citing disdain for Cena's rapping and "thug nature".[24] Bischoff made wrestlers such asChris Jericho,Christian andKurt Angle try to take theWWE Championship away from Cena. Following several months ofRaw andSmackDown! invasions, Bischoff lost to SmackDown! general manager Theodore Long atSurvivor Series afterThe Boogeyman helped Long beat Bischoff.[25]
On the December 5 episode ofRaw, Bischoff was (kayfabe) "fired" as general manager, when Cena body slammed him and Vince McMahon tossed him into a garbage truck – following a "trial" where his history of unscrupulous actions were listed – and had him driven out of the arena.[26] Bischoff then sat out the remainder of the year and spent the start of 2006 writing a book that would becomeControversy Creates Cash. Bischoff was against writing a wrestling book initially, as he believes "most are bitter, self-serving revisionist history at best—and monuments to bullshit at their worst."[27]
On September 25, 2006, Bischoff appeared on WWE television for the first time in close to a year, and after being brought into the ring byJonathan Coachman, he proceeded to promote his recently finished bookControversy Creates Cash, giving aworked shoot on McMahon and WWE. During hissegment, Bischoff stated, "WithoutMonday Nitro there would be noMonday Night Raw...without thenWo there would be noDX...and without Eric Bischoff there would be no Mr. McMahon". After this statement, Bischoff's microphone was immediately cut off, Jonathan Coachman's music played and he was escorted from the arena by security.[28]
A few days laterJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) conducted a four-part interview with Bischoff, further discussing his book on WWE.com. During the interview, Bischoff discussed various topics, such as his true feelings towardsLex Luger, his thoughts on ECW promoter Paul Heyman, his decision of givingKevin Nashbooking power, and his overall reaction to the Monday Night War. The book was released on October 17, 2006, and became aNew York Times best seller.
Bischoff was chosen as the special guest referee for theD-Generation X (DX) versusRated-RKO match atCyber Sunday on November 5, with 60% of the vote. He then cheated DX out of the win, leaving Randy Orton andEdge the victors.[29] The next night onRaw, Bischoff was reinstated as General Manager for one night only. During his time as the General Manager onRaw, he restarted matches if he did not like the outcome. He also got revenge onMaria for her statement made in his trial the year before by making her faceUmaga, forced John Cena to "take the night off," and banned DX from the building. He restarted the match betweenJeff Hardy andJohnny Nitro for theWWE Intercontinental Championship after Hardy won by disqualification. Bischoff restarted that match as aNo Disqualification match, and Nitro took advantage of that usingMelina to distract Hardy and striking him with the title belt. At the end of the show, DX interfered in the main event when Bischoff tried to help Edge and Randy Orton win the World Tag Team Championship fromRic Flair andRoddy Piper, and forced him to be humiliated by "Big Dick Johnson" as revenge for costing them their match the night before.[30]
On March 5, 2007, Bischoff made a brief appearance onRaw in Phoenix, Arizona to giveVince McMahon his thoughts on theWrestleMania 23 match againstDonald Trump.[31] In August 2007, Bischoff's WWE contract expired.[32] On December 10, 2007, Bischoff appeared onRaw for its 15th Anniversary Special, and was confronted byChris Jericho, the man whom he fired onRaw on August 22, 2005.[33]
In October 2009, Bischoff helped negotiate a deal amongTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA),Hulk Hogan, and himself.[34] According to Bischoff, Hogan gave Bischoff the power to sign contracts on his behalf. He pointed that TNA only wanted Hogan, but Hogan wouldn't go to TNA without Bischoff. Bischoff also said that he went with Hogan to oversee his creative.[35] He premiered alongside Hogan on theJanuary 4, 2010, episode ofImpact! as part of an alliance to take over and rebuild the franchise. Behind the scenes, he was also appointed TNA executive producer.[36]
Despite being a heel when dealing with the likes ofJeff Jarrett,Mick Foley andAbyss,[37][38] Bischoff refereed his first TNA match atAgainst All Odds, favoring the face challengerSamoa Joe over the heel championA.J. Styles in a match for theTNA World Heavyweight Championship. During the match, as part of the storyline, Bischoff punched out Styles' managerRic Flair, after he interfered in the match, but the distraction led to Styles retaining his belt.[39] On the March 15 episode ofImpact!, Bischoff attempted to shave Foley bald as a punishment for trying to help Jarrett in a handicap match the previous week, but was shaved bald himself, when Foley turned the tables on him.[40] AtLockdown, Bischoff turned face by helping Team Hogan defeat Team Flair in theLethal Lockdown match.[41] The next months Bischoff worked with Hogan, Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe againstSting andKevin Nash, who claimed that they knew that Bischoff and Hogan were up to something.[42] During this time, Abyss turned on Hogan and went on a rampage, which included attacking the TNA World Heavyweight ChampionRob Van Dam to the point that he was forced to vacate the title, all the while claiming that he was controlled by some entity, that was coming to TNA.[43][44][45] After he manhandled TNA presidentDixie Carter on the October 7 episode ofImpact!, Bischoff presented Carter with the paperwork that would have Abyss fired after his match with Van Dam atBound for Glory, which she then proceeded to sign.[46]
At Bound for Glory, Bischoff turned heel with Hogan, as the two of them helpedJeff Hardy win the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Bischoff, Hogan and Hardy then aligned themselves with Abyss and Jarrett.[47] On the following episode ofImpact! it was revealed that Bischoff had tricked Carter and the paperwork she had signed a week earlier, were not to release Abyss, but to turn the company over to him and Hogan. Meanwhile, Bischoff's and Hogan's new stable, now known asImmortal, formed an alliance with Flair'sFortune stable.[48] On the November 4 episode ofImpact!, Bischoff took part in his first match in TNA, challenging the concussedMr. Anderson to earn his shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, only forMatt Morgan to take his spot and beat Bischoff to become the number one contender.[49] Carter returned on the November 25 episode ofReaction, informing Hogan and Bischoff that a judge had filed aninjunction against the two on her behalf over not having signatory authority, indefinitely suspending Hogan from TNA.[50] On January 31, 2011, at the tapings of the February 3 episode ofImpact!, Fortune turned on Immortal, explaining that they were not going to let TNA suffer the same fate as WCW.[51][52] Hogan, having won the court battle against Carter, returned to TNA on the March 3 episode ofImpact!, declaring himself as the new owner of the promotion.[53]
However, on the May 12 episode of the newly renamedImpact Wrestling, Immortal lost control of the program to Foley, who revealed himself as the Network consultant, and had been causing problems for Immortal ever since Bischoff and Hogan took over the company. However, this angle was aborted just three weeks later, when Foley left the promotion.[54][55] Also in May, Bischoff declared war on theX Division, after the legitimate firing ofJay Lethal, and on the May 19 episode ofImpact Wrestling, wrestled his second TNA match, when he teamed withMatt Hardy in a tag team match, where they defeatedGeneration Me (Jeremy and Max Buck).[56][57] The storyline concluded on August 11, when the Network gave the division back to the original X Division wrestlers, after the success ofDestination X, which saw Immortal's Abyss lose theX Division Championship toBrian Kendrick.[58] On October 6, it was reported that Bischoff had signed a contract extension with TNA.[59] On October 16 atBound for Glory, after losing control of TNA back to Carter, Hogan turned on the rest of Immortal by saving Sting from a beatdown at the hands of its members.[60] Sting had won the match when referee Jackson James, who had earlier in the event been revealed as Bischoff's real-life sonGarett Bischoff, reluctantly called the ring bell for a submission, which led to Eric hitting his son with a steel chair following the match, starting a rivalry between the two.[60] On April 15, 2012, atLockdown, Eric and Garett captained opposing teams in the annual Lethal Lockdown match. Garett won the match for his team by pinning Eric, forcing his father out of TNA in the process.[61]
After Lockdown, Bischoff did not appear onImpact Wrestling and focused on his backstage roles. In October 2013, Bischoff was sent home by TNA to sit out the remainder of his contract, which expired in early 2014. In May 2015, Bischoff, his son Garett, and his business partnerJason Hervey sued TNA for unpaid salary.[62] During an interview in August 2016, when Bischoff was asked what went wrong with TNA he said: "I try to put them both out of my mind so I couldn't tell you. No comment. I'm in the middle of a lawsuit with them so I can't really comment." When asked about positive memories during his time with TNA he stated that he did not have any.[63] In 2019, Bischoff said of his TNA run, "For the most part, it is very regrettable" and "looking back, I wished I wouldn't have done it, with one or two exceptions."[64]
Bischoff inductedDiamond Dallas Page into theWWE Hall of Fame.[65] On the25th Anniversary ofRaw on January 22, 2018, Bischoff made a guest appearance on the show, during a segment with other formerRaw general managers and on July 22, 2019, on theRaw Reunion.[66]
In June 2019, WWE announced that Bischoff would be the executive director ofSmackDown, and part of Bischoff's role is to act as an intermediary between WWE andFox executives due to his background in the television industry,[67][68] but he was replaced on October 15 byBruce Prichard,[69] and with immediate effect he had left WWE.[70]Bryan Alvarez reported that he heard "zero good things" about Bischoff and that Bischoff did not know the product nor the wrestlers.[71] According to Fox, Bischoff was released since "[s]ignificant promises were made that we don't feel were upheld".[72]
In March 2020, Bischoff reflected on his WWE departure, stating "I knew about six weeks in, eight weeks in, it just wasn't going to work out. [...] I knew I wasn't fitting and it wasn't a secret. [...] It just wasn't right. [...] I had to fit in the system and I wasn't able to do it in the timeline it needed to be done".[73] In June 2020, Bischoff further reflected on his departure by saying "it was on me" and backs his profession by blaming his failure to adapt to the new job for why his tenure was so short and described the problem as being more of a "chemistry issue" than anything else. Bischoff also pointed out that he had little creative control over SmackDown but was more of an overseer for Vince, who had the most say in WWE's creative direction at the time.[74]
On April 6, 2021, he was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame.[75] He also appeared on the December 27 episode ofRaw, as the officiator for the renewal ofThe Miz andMaryse's vows,[76] and on the January 21, 2022 episode ofSmackDown, during a backstage segment withAdam Pearce andSonya Deville.[77]
Bischoff appeared via a video on the November 26, 2024 episode of NXT to speak toTrick Williams andRidge Holland.[78] Bischoff appeared live in person on the December 4 episode of NXT, praising the brand and its potential and again talking with Trick Williams and Ridge Holland.[79]
On the August 5, 2020 episode ofDynamite, Bischoff appeared on TNT for the first time since 2000, when he moderated a debate betweenChris Jericho andOrange Cassidy. He referred to his appearance as a cameo and he has not signed withAll Elite Wrestling.[80] However, on the October 28 episode, Bischoff would later return toDynamite to ask Jericho andMJF questions during a "town hall meeting", provoking the two wrestlers and setting up a match atFull Gear.[81][82] On the March 3, 2021 episode ofDynamite, he appeared as part of anInner Circle press conference.[83] On the May 28 episode, Bischoff returned toDynamite to host a party for the Inner Circle.[84][85] During the event, members of the Inner Circle were ambushed by MJF and others inThe Pinnacle.[85][86][87]
Bischoff, with actor Jason Hervey, ran his own production company,Bischoff Hervey Entertainment, which primarily produced reality TV shows, through 2017. They produced a liveGirls Gone Wildpay-per-view event from Florida in 2003 with WWE and another pay-per-view about theSturgis, South Dakotamotorcycle rally in 2004. They also executive produced the VH1 reality showsScott Baio Is 45...and Single,Scott Baio Is 46...and Pregnant,I Want To Be a Hilton, andConfessions of a Teen Idol, along with the CMT showBilly Ray Cyrus...Home At Last. Bischoff-Hervey Productions also produced a wrestling reality show calledHulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling in which ten celebrities were trained to wrestle and one celebrity is voted off weekly. Bischoff also appeared as one of the "judges" on the show. In November 2009, Bischoff helped produce Hulk Hogan'sHulkamania: Let The Battle Begin tour to Australia. Bischoff, also had a show in development with Food Network called "Food Fight" where pro wrestlers take on celebrity chefs in cooking and then tag-team with them in a wrestling match. In January 2013, Bischoff and Hervey produced the television seriesHardcore Pawn: Chicago.
In 2013, along with partnersJason Hervey andIke McFadden, Bischoff formed the online gaming company MX Digital.[88] The company develops and distributes online and mobile celebrity-themed games in Europe and North America. Among the company's first released games wereHulk Hogan's Hulkamania, which debuted on SkyVegas in November 2012.[89] Their next game,The Hoff, featuring actor-singerDavid Hasselhoff, was released widely in Europe in February 2013.[90][91]
In early 2014, his online-gaming company announced a deal with actorDan Aykroyd to launch aBlues Brothers online casino game in Europe.[92] Later that year, MX Digital launched their games onFacebook, under the moniker "MX Casino". Slot-machine-style games playable upon launch as a Facebook app included "socialized" versions ofHulk Hogan's Hulkamania, as well as a similarly Facebook-friendly version ofThe Hoff. Also debuting in October of that year were a batch of new celebrity-themed games, this time starring the likes ofDennis Rodman,James Dean andChuck Norris.[93]
Bischoff currently resides inCody, Wyoming with his wife, Loree (married since 1984). Bischoff has previously lived inScottsdale, Arizona;Stamford, Connecticut; andLos Angeles, California. He has two children: sonGarett (born April 20, 1984); and daughter Montanna (born November 7, 1985).[94] Garett, under the ring name Jackson James, made his debut for TNA Wrestling on November 7, 2010, as a referee atTurning Point, before later becoming a wrestler under his real name.[95]
On May 5, 2011, Eric Bischoff announced that he was starting a brewing company in Cody, Wyoming. Their first beverage, called Buffalo Bill Cody Beer, featured the tag line "The Spirit of the Wild West".[96]
On July 27, 2016, Bischoff premiered his first podcast show,Bischoff on Wrestling, onMLW Radio. After October 17, 2017, he quit the show due to being shortchanged on money. In April 2018, Bischoff returned to podcasting with83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff alongside co-host,Conrad Thompson.
Bischoff helped launchReal American Freestyle on April 30, 2025, and currently serves as their chief media officer.[97]
Bischoff is a longtime fan of Vermont-basedjambandPhish and collects live recordings of their concerts.[98]
Bischoff is one of the most polarizing and controversial figures in professional wrestling history. He was instrumental in the creation of the New World Order, which played a major role in WCW's success and peak during the Monday Night War.[99] Mike Johnson ofPro Wrestling Insider wrote: "His place in history is this and it will always be this - he's the only person to come along and kick Vince McMahon hard enough that he forced WWF's product to evolve and get better. No matter whether he won the ratings for 83 weeks or one week, his legacy is that he made pro wrestling change for the better in the mid-1990s."[100] However,R.D. Reynolds andBryan Alvarez, the authors of the book titledThe Death of WCW, were critical of many of the decisions Bischoff made as head of WCW and believe that he contributed to the decline of WCW.[101] Despite their criticisms, Reynolds attributes the death of WCW to have been the result of decisions made by Jamie Kellner.[102][103]
Although critical of the time that they spent working together in WCW and TNA,[104][105]Vince Russo said Bischoff has "contributed [to professional wrestling] in a tremendous way ... dating all the way back to his early days at the AWA".[106] AEW promoterTony Khan credits Bischoff with paving the way for his promotion, stating: "I wouldn't be here and there would not be an AEW without [Bischoff] and there would not be wrestling on TNT right now without [him]."[107] WWE describes Bischoff as a "pioneer behind the scenes in sports-entertainment, as well as an incredibly entertaining performer in front of the camera", further stating that he achieved "success everywhere he went in the business".[1]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Rhodes To The Top | Himself | |
| 2024 | Who Killed WCW? | Himself | |
| 2024 | Mr. McMahon | Himself |
I was born on May 27, 1955, in Detroit, Michigan.
,Cagematch,Wrestlingdata,Internet Wrestling Database| Preceded by Inaugural | WCW Nitro lead announcer 1995–1996 | Succeeded by |
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