WWE HOFer Eric Bischoff Details Rollercoaster Relationship With Lex Luger

It's no secret that the relationship between WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff and future WWE Hall of Famer Lex Luger has been all over the place throughout the years. This was exemplified by Bischoff openly admitting that he wanted nothing to do with Luger when he became a free agent in 1995, ultimately only signing "The Total Package" at the bequest of Luger's long-time friend, Sting.

On a special "83 Weeks" discussing Luger's upcoming Hall of Fame induction, Bischoff briefly told the story again to make the point that he wound up very happy about Luger's signing, stating that Luger's second WCW run went great. Alas, their relationship soured again after WCW folded, largely due to Luger's involvement with the death of Miss Elizabeth.

"I just didn't want anything to do with Lex Luger," Bischoff said. "I resented him so much. And it's not like I was that close with Miss Elizabeth. My wife was, however. She had been out here to the house in Wyoming, along with Janie Engle, and went trout fishing not far from here. My wife was pretty friendly with Liz. But that scene just...because of...my original bias about Lex and what I thought he was and then, yeah, I realized...'Hey, he could actually work out,' and he was fun to work with and he was a pro. 

"And then, of course, the sad situation with him and Miss Elizabeth, obviously. But I resented him, and I didn't want to be in the same room with him. I had gone to a couple different conventions, and after the convention, everybody would meet in the hotel bar. And if I saw Lex Luger there, I'd either move over to the other side of the bar, or leave."

While Bischoff and Luger are now on good terms, it would take years before the two would start to repair their relationship. According to Bischoff, the catalyst for this wasn't the nerve impingement Luger suffered in his neck that briefly left him a quadriplegic. Rather, it was what came after, when Luger began to turn his life around by embracing religion, a story Bischoff says he kept close tabs on.

"I followed him, and I followed him in his spirituality, and noticed that," Bischoff said. "And for a long time took note of that, because my cynical impression was 'Is it even real? Or is this just, you know, kind of a desperate person saying desperate things?' I kept following Lex for some reason, and I became more and more interested in Lex. And I started to feel something, a connection, a bizarre connection, to be sure. And I thought 'You know what? I want to talk to him.'"

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