Eric Bischoff On Who Created The Elimination Chamber, WCW Event In North Korea, Eugene Angle In WWE
Eric Bischoff was interviewed by The Ring, the Cage, and the Stage this week. You can listen to the full interview in the video above, below are some highlights:
Working with the Eugene character in WWE and being Uncle Eric:
"I didn't have a lot of thoughts about it. I loved working with Nick Densmore, very talented guy and an easy person to work with, and a great performer. I didn't really think the story line was that powerful, I don't think it was that successful, I think it was a little too hard to believe, and a little bit too contrived. There's a line and when you cross over it, it becomes entertaining but not compelling."
So many things from WCW and the WWF in the 90s still being relevant:
"For me it was the peak of my career so naturally I am going to look favorably on that era. But I think what's interesting about wrestling fans is that they are generational. I will go to an appearance and I will have somebody older than me come up to me and say, 'oh I remember watching you with my kids!', and then the kids that are now 30 or 35 come up and say, 'I used to watch you with my dad!' I think wrestling fans more than any fans are generational, and very loyal, and it's a family viewing experience. It just amazes me that so many people still want to speak about that era, that's what my podcast is all about, that era and how it developed into so much of what we see today."
If he created the Elimination Chamber like in storyline:
"Well I hate to burst your bubble (laughs), I had nothing to do with creating that thing. That was all Triple H."
If he attended the joint NJPW – WCW Collision event in North Korea in 1995:
"Not only did I go but I was instrumental in putting that trip together. It was one of the most surreal experiences that I have ever had. I don't know if either of you have been out of the country, but the first time I stepped foot out of the country I was in high school, now I spoke German so that's why I went over there. I was part of a student exchange program. When I went to Germany things were different but for the most part, I could make my way around pretty easily. When you go to North Korea, nothing is like anything you have ever experienced before in your life. The geography is red and dry, and you can't understand the language or the street signs, and on top of that you're surrounded by a country of people that actually hate you."
If he was able to venture out while in North Korea:
"We had security with us all the time, but not really being mindful of the situation I got up and went out for a six-mile hike. The people in the area where all walking to work, and they had never laid eyes on an American. For three generations the children in school there have been taught that American men will rape their women, eat their children, and murder the village. That's how they look at us, like monsters. So, when I went running, I saw a lot of scared North Koreans. When I got back to the hotel my security person read by the riot act."