Eric Bischoff calls 14-Time Champion a d**k" for a past backstage incident involving Hulk Hogan
Eric Bischoff has been a crucial backstage figure in wrestling and an important on-screen figure for years. On his latest episode of the 83 Weeks podcast, the former WCW President Eric Bischoff called a 14-time champion and WWE legend a "d**k" for a backstage incident from 2005 SummerSlam.
This was when Eric Bischoff was the on-screen General Manager of RAW, and the particular incident was three years into his tenure. It was none other than the infamous Shawn Michaels vs. Hulk Hogan match that took place in the main event of SummerSlam 2005.
Michaels famously oversold all of Hogan's offense, making it look like a parody. His reason for doing so was reported backstage disagreements between WWE and Hulk Hogan over how the feud would play out.
On his podcast, Eric Bischoff revealed his feelings about Michaels overselling Hulk Hogan's offense. He was furious over what happened and said that it was Michaels being a "d**k":
"I was pissed off," said Bischoff. "Internally, I saw what was going on. It was so obvious right out of the shoot. I felt bad for Hulk [Hogan]. It's such a terrible thing to do to somebody. If you've got an issue with somebody in the ring, take care of it before you get to the ring or after you get out. When you get into the ring, don't get into business for yourself, don't get cute. Because of whatever personal issues you have and that's exactly what Shawn Michaels did, in my opinion. If you go back and watch the match and pay attention in terms of how much Shawn Michaels oversold to the point of being a parody, that was just him being a d**k." [39:00-40:01]
Bischoff continued by saying that he was angry with the situation, and he called Michaels' behavior "bad business."
"I was pretty angry, and it wasn't just because of my relationship with Hulk. It was just a horrible thing to do to somebody. You're in front of 20,000 people, you're on a pay-per-view and you're going to do business for yourself? It gets me hot thinking about it. I'm over it, but the idea of someone doing that is something that will always aggravate me. You got a problem with somebody? Do it before you work or do it after you're working, but don't do it while you're working. It's just bad business," he added. [40:02-40:41]
Given the way Eric Bischoff spoke of the incident, he still sounds riled up about the idea of it. You can watch the full episode below:
Eric Bischoff would conclude his tenure a few months later
ON THIS DAY: @EBischoff heard those two dreaded words on @WWE #RAW... @JohnCena wwe.me/b1lcrI https://t.co/OTLR9EfMr6
SummerSlam 2005 also came near the end of Eric Bischoff's tenure as RAW General Manager. Just a few months later, in December 2005, former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon fired him.
Even then, he remains among the longest-tenured general managers in WWE history. Authority figures usually don't have a long shelf-life. Eric Bischoff experienced a lot during his time with WWE and would spend a few years in a backstage (and on-screen) role with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling.
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