"That may have been one of the last big money contracts I executed" - Eric Bischoff comments on current AEW star's WCW contract
On the latest edition of his podcast, 83 Weeks, former WCW executive Eric Bischoff discussed the Starrcade PPV from 2000. This was the last Starrcade held under the WCW banner before WWE bought the promotion the following year.
Eric Bischoff discussed how WCW management didn't utilize Dustin Rhodes despite him being on a massive contract. Bischoff had signed Rhodes to a deal worth $500,000 the first year, $600,000 the second year and $700,000 the third year, as well as a sizable signing bonus. While Eric Bischoff was the one who signed Dustin Rhodes to the contract, he himself lost his position in WCW soon afterward. Here's what Bischoff said:
"That contract, if it was August of ‘99, that may have been one of the last big money contracts I executed. I was there for 30 days after that. I got let go on September 10th of 1999, so that contract would have happened under my watch. That would have been my decision. You’re welcome Dustin."
Eric Bischoff on WCW not featuring Dustin Rhodes in late 2000
Speaking about Dustin Rhodes in WCW, Eric Bischoff said that while he did sign Rhodes to the lucrative contract, he could not understand why he wasn't booked better and used in a more meaningful way:
"The fact that WCW had nothing going on for him, the fact they weren’t using him, I have no explanation for it. I wasn’t there at that time. Yes, I executed the agreement. It was my choice and my decision. I thought a lot of Dustin and I still do. I thought a lot of him as a performer. Forget about how I felt about him as a person because I’ve always been very friendly with Dustin and we were pretty close at one time. He was a great talent. Why they weren’t using him at this point in 2000, I have no idea." H/T: WrestlingNewsCo
Dustin Rhodes is a pro wreslting legend. Rhodes is also the man behind the Goldust character in WWE. Rhodes is currently signed to AEW where he is a part of the Nightmare Family. Evil Uno has been trying to recruit Dustin Rhodes into The Dark Order recently, but has not been successful.