Why did Vince McMahon ignore Eric Bischoff as his rival in Monday Night Wars? Netflix documentary reveals all
Wrestling fans have gained new insights into the life of Vince McMahon through the recently released Netflix docuseries Mr. McMahon. The documentary covered the rise and fall of the former WWE Chairman and revealed secrets about the business during the 79-year-old's time as the company's head.
In the third episode of the Mr. McMahon series, Bruce Prichard revealed why the former WWE CEO ignored WCW's Eric Bischoff as his rival during the Monday Night Wars. Prichard revealed McMahon's competition was always with network owner Ted Turner.
"In the beginning of the Monday Night Wars, I don't think Vince even considered Eric Bischoff. Vince looked at the Monday Night Wars as something between Vince and Ted," he said. [37:20 onwards]
For those unaware, the Monday Night Wars lasted from 1995 till 2001, and every week, WWE RAW competed with WCW's Nitro for ratings. While Vince McMahon led WWE in this battle, Eric Bischoff was the mind behind WCW's success.
However, this war eventually ended in 2001, and it would be safe to say WWE emerged victorious, as Vince McMahon ended up purchasing WCW. As a matter of fact, post-purchase, Eric Bischoff worked as an on-screen authority figure on Monday Night RAW for several years. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
Wrestling veteran says Netflix docuseries about Vince McMahon releasing now is not random
It's important to note that the Mr. McMahon docuseries on Netflix has been released a few months ahead of Monday Night RAW's debut on the streaming giant. The red brand will officially move to the OTT streaming service in January 2025.
On Sportkeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Outlaws, former WWE writer Vince Russo mentioned that the release time of the docuseries was not random. As per Russo, the intention behind the release was to make it clear that McMahon was no longer a part of WWE.
"I think what the goal is gonna be by the end of this is, 'Vince McMahon is no longer a part of this company; he is no longer involved in it; it is a new day; this is a new beginning!' I think that's what they are going to do. I don't think they are gonna go out of their way to beat him up, but I do believe they're gonna sever all ties. This is a new company, a new start, and a new beginning on Netflix. And I think they feel they needed to make that separation before the show started,'' he said. [0:57 onwards]
Regardless of the goal behind its release, the Mr. McMahon docuseries has been making waves in the world of professional wrestling.