Eric Bischoff Recalls How WWE Told Him He Was Fired Last Year
On the latest episode of the 83 Weeks Podcast, 2021 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Eric Bischoff spoke about the feeling heading into the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which aired last night. Bischoff said the emotion surrounding the announcement has only started to heat up as the day gets closer and closer.
"I'm still kind of getting used to the idea [of being a WWE Hall of Famer]," Bischoff said. "I just realized this morning that now I have the opportunity to change my Twitter handle and bio and include WWE Hall of Famer in there. I'm here and enjoying every minute of it, the newness of it all. It's not worn off, it's actually intensified because I'm here now. I was actually in the WWE venue at the time and still now, it feels cool and new and fresh."
In June of 2019, Bischoff was announced as the Executive Director of SmackDown but was let go by the company just months later in October. Bischoff described his experience of being fired, saying he was treated with respect and class, but Vince McMahon wasn't the person to tell him.
"When I got to the word, and it wasn't from Vince, the person telling me just let me know that I was being let go," Bischoff said. "I was more concerned about the way he was reacting than the way I was reacting. I felt bad for him, because he generally felt bad, we had a great relationship. In that step of the process, we had the conversation, I hugged the individual so he wouldn't feel bad and he said 'Would you like to say goodbye to your team?'
"I thought that was so cool. Instead of just walking me out of the door and calling security to escort me out of the door, I got to say goodbye to the 12 or 15 people that were waiting in the office next to me to start my meeting that was scheduled for about 15 minutes from that point. I was really happy to say goodbye to them and leave the room saying something positive to each of them."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit 83 Weeks with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.