WWE Hall Of Famer Eric Bischoff Explains Decision To Do MLW Show

Last weekend, MLW hosted its latest event, SuperFight 6, at Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia. For Eric Bischoff, who returned to the promotion as its executive producer for the show, it brought back many memories. The venue was once home to the tapings of "WCW Saturday Night" from 1982 to 1992 under promoter Jim Barnett and then again from 1992 to 2000. Some of wrestling's legendary greats performed there, which Bischoff reflected on when asked what it was like to return to the venue 30 years later.

"I was so excited just to step put in that building one more time. I anticipated a lot of things would have changed structurally, and it did," Bischoff first noted on his "83 Weeks" podcast. "The bar is a lot nicer upstairs...three times bigger. I remember when I first got to the building...It was a Saturday afternoon [it] was pretty nice outside, so I thought I'm just going to walk around...When I came back, I went to into a different entrance, and I went up into the bar area, which is upstairs or alongside, I guess, the stage area, and that was the first place where I met Andre the Giant."

Furthering the story and its rich history, Bischoff recalled what a career-defining moment it was to meet Andre the Giant and share a drink with him. With fondness, he returned to the same place he sat decades ago to soak it all in before MLW aired later that evening.

"I sat at the end of the bar with Andre. He was seated, and Dusty [Rhodes] was seated, and I was standing," Bischoff recounted. Dusty called me over, which I'm grateful for, and introduced me to Andre because he didn't know who I was. I got to meet him, hang out, and have a beer with Dusy [and] Andre. I thought, you know, I just want to go to that very physical spot that I remember so vividly, and it's not there anymore because they expanded everything, so I knew about where it was. I stood there...and soaked it all in."

During his full circle moment, Bischoff oversaw the entire creative production once again at SuperFight 6, where Matt Riddle successfully defended his MLW World Heavyweight Championship against former champions Satoshi Kojima and Alex Kane. MLW's next show, Battle RIOT VII, will stream live on YouTube on Saturday, April 5, at Commerce Casino & Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

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