Eric Bischoff Explains Different Sides Of 'Complicated' Former WWE Boss Vince McMahon

Recent episodes of Eric Bischoff's "83 Weeks" podcast have been focused on covering Netflix's "Mr. McMahon" docuseries, which the former WCW executive was featured prominently in. When asked about the criticism often leveled towards McMahon regarding the way he ran WWE, Bischoff praised McMahon's business acumen.

"He's been so far ahead of the curve in so many aspects of not only the wrestling business but cable television," Bischoff said. "He's been on the cutting edge and had a significant impact on the pay-per-view opportunities and model. He was so far ahead of his time on [streaming], when I first heard about [the WWE Network], I thought he lost his s**t."

Bischoff continued highlighting McMahon and his contributions to the professional wrestling industry, stating that he doesn't believe he has ever met anyone who has done more for the business. However, Bischoff doesn't believe McMahon will receive his due credit for all that he accomplished, stating that people are too judgmental and tend to focus on the negative. He believes there is a more positive side to McMahon that wasn't deeply expressed in the series.

Continuing on the topic, Bischoff discussed WWE Executive Director Bruce Prichard's role in the docuseries, which saw Prichard accusing the documentary crew of going in with the goal of burying McMahon. While Bischoff doesn't feel the "Mr. McMahon" producers set out to make the former WWE CEO look bad, he does understand Prichard's point of view.

"You can love the person and hate the deed, and I believe that's where Bruce is at," Bischoff continued. "Bruce ... [brought] up something — an example of one thing of many things that Vince has done to help people, without any expectation of a thank you or any publicity whatsoever. ... He's so complicated, and I see why Bruce says you're only seeing that one side of him."

Bischoff acknowledged that he has mixed feelings on McMahon himself, stating that he has been very open about his criticism towards the retired executive poaching talent and more. Though he enjoyed the series overall, Bischoff felt that "Mr. McMahon" would have benefitted from showing some more of the positive elements of McMahon, which would get across the complexity of his character in real life.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "83 Weeks" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.