"I didn't want him back" - Eric Bischoff says Sting convinced him to sign WWE legend
WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff has stated that he was not at all interested in signing Lex Luger to WCW and only changed his mind after an icon asked him to.
Luger left WWE in 1995 and was re-signed by WCW when Bischoff was WCW Vice-President. The legendary star stayed with the company until it shut down in 2001.
Speaking on the recent episode of Busted Open podcast, Bischoff said that he wasn't keen to sign Luger in '95 but was convinced by Sting to at least speak to him.
"I didn't want him back [Lex Luger] for any reason. I wasn't curious. I wasn't in a frame of mind with regard to Lex, where I wanted to see what he was really going to bring to the table. I was dead set against bringing him in. And the only reason that I kept an open mind and listened was because of my respect - not so much friendship - although there was friendship there, but I respected Steve's [Sting] opinion beyond my affection for him or my friendship with him," said Bischoff.
Bischoff continued:
"I would've never brought Lex back, had it not been for Sting, really spending a lot of time convincing me to at least meet with Lex and hear what he had to say because my instinct, my inclination was, 'Nope, ain't gonna happen not gonna happen.'" [From 4:20 to 5:11]
Watch @GenuineLexLuger's miraculous recovery tonight on an all-new Biography: WWE Legends at 8/7c as part of @WWEonAE’s Superstar Sundays. #WWEonAE https://t.co/uzYsBpv5iT
Bischoff agreed that Luger's debut on WCW played a huge part in Nitro becoming a successful TV show.
WWE legend Eric Bischoff said nobody liked Lex Luger
Listen to the ovation when @GenuineLexLuger ended @HulkHogan's nearly yearlong reign as WCW Champion. #WWEIcons https://t.co/f3l6IkIhfw
Speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff said that just a few people in WCW liked Luger, which included Sting and the Steiner Brothers.
"Nobody really liked him except for Sting and maybe the Steiner Brothers – he just wasn’t a well-loved guy," said Bischoff.
The WWE Hall of Famer stated that no one in the locker shed a tear when the two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion left the company in 1992 to join WWE.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Busted Open and H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription.