Former WWE head writer reportedly proposed Vince McMahon’s union with real-life rival
Former WWE Head Writer Brian Gewirtz revealed the story and tactics behind Eric Bischoff being announced as the new General Manager of RAW in 2002.
The Monday Night Wars between WCW and WWE was a memorable time in wrestling. World Championship Wrestling was managed by Eric Bischoff while World Wrestling Entertainment was managed by Vince McMahon.
When the latter company came out victorious, it came as a shock to many when it was announced that the boss of the rival company was going to be handling Monday Night RAW.
Brian Gewirtz took to Twitter to reply to a throwback tweet. Brian shared that he was the mind behind the segment's layout. In the tweet, he shared that they introduced Bischoff in a backstage segment before the commercial break so that when the show comes back, there will be an additional audience tuning in.
"Yup. I actually pitched this. The thought was to create a huge buzz and have people call each other during the commercial break so there was a huge audience we we returned (back when people actually called each other). Top 5 “wish Twitter was around back then” wrestling moment," Brian tweeted.
Yup. I actually pitched this. The thought was to create a huge buzz and have people call each other during the commercial break so there was a huge audience we we returned (back when people actually called each other). Top 5 “wish Twitter was around back then” wrestling moment. twitter.com/otd_in_wwe/sta…
After his stint at the company ended in 2005, Bischoff made a transition to TNA (Impact Wrestling) before appearing on AEW a decade later. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
What is happening to WWE RAW in the modern era?
The wrestling landscape has changed throughout the years. Bischoff became RAW General Manager in early 2000s, and the brand was in its Ruthless Aggression era. This point of wrestling was a drastic change compared to today's era.
#OnThisDayinWWE 20 years ago on #WWERaw:
Mr McMahon announced the new Raw GM...
His once bitter enemy, @ebischoff
What you may not remember was how he was first seen - not introduced by Vince, but backstage with Booker before a break
Presumably for a ratings boost, @bfg728? https://t.co/nwcIwnWbQs
Talking about promos, wrestlers had more freedom in the past. In this day and age, the brand decided to go for a more child-friendly approach. Whether this may be in regards to matches and promos.
However, it seems like another era of the brand will end. It was recently announced that the company will now operate as a TV-14 rated program soon. With this in mind, it should be noted that the program may now have strong and suggestive dialouge, as well as violence.
Do you think Eric Bischoff's WWE debut was the most shocking moment in the history of Monday Night RAW? Sound off in the comments below!