Teddy Long Recalls Working With A Young Eric Bischoff Ahead Of WWE Hall Of Fame

On a recent episode of The Wrestling Inc. Daily, WWE Hall of Famer and SWE General Manager Teddy Long made his return to the podcast. Long is well known as his time as SmackDown General Manager, and Wrestling Inc. Managing Editor Nick Hausman asked Long what makes a good authority figure in pro wrestling.

"I think what makes an authority figure pop is that the authority figure gives the people what they want," Long explained. "My thing is this, if people came to that arena and spend their hard-earned money to see a good show, then I want them to be happy. I want them to go home happy, and I want them to be able to talk to their neighbors and everybody and say, 'Hey, I went to see SWE last night and brother, did I have a great time.' Now not only do I want to make the people happy but sometimes I have to make the wrestlers happy too because sometimes they're in a situation that they can't get out of, but I can straighten it out for them.

"So I just want to make everybody happy and have a great show, and when you leave there, I want you to be entertained, talking about it when you get home and letting everybody know when they come back, I'll be there and, 'why don't you come with me?'"

The current authority figure in WWE is "Scrap Iron" Adam Pearce who has appeared on all three brands in varying capacities. Long gave his thoughts on Pearce.

"Well, I had a chance to meet Adam when I was there three or four weeks ago for the Legends show, and God, Adam Pearce, great guy," Long expressed. "I love him to death man, and I think he's doing a great job. I can see where they've had him backed up against the wall a couple of times. So sometimes when they back you up against the wall, you got to know how to get out of it, and so Adam's doing a good job. Adam Pearce is a great guy, and I think he's doing an outstanding job."

The last time Long was on the podcast, he confirmed that he would appear on RAW Legends Night. He recalled his time that night and reminisced about reconnecting with old friends.

"Any time I'm able to go back and see Vince [McMahon] and give him a shout, me and him always have a good conversation when I'm back there," Long said. "I got to see a lot of the other guys. Bruce Prichard, able to see him. Triple H and all the guys that were there when I was there and a lot of guys that are still there. I just enjoy going back and seeing some of the old faces and making sure, well, I'm happy everybody's still alive! I'm still alive, and we're still doing our thing and having a good time."

WrestleMania is nearly sold out as WWE is set to welcome in 25,000 fans on each night. Hausman asked Long if he will be involved in any of the WrestleMania festivities.

"Well, I don't know. It's still early," Long noted. "I haven't got a call yet. You know with the WWE and how this business rolls, they'll call you at night and want you to be somewhere the next day. So you never know, but if I don't get a call, I'm still busy doing stuff with SWE. But if Vince calls, I've always been loyal to him. He always took care of me, and if he needs me, I'll be there."

Eric Bischoff was inducted into the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame class earlier this week, which will air on Tuesday. Long discussed Bischoff's induction and recalled their time in WCW together.

"I already texted him, and I congratulated Eric Bischoff," Long revealed. "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. I had a chance to work with Eric way back in the WCW days, and in fact, when Eric Bischoff came in, and he'll tell you this, I was one of the guys that went with him and kind of helped train him a little bit. We were working for Bill Watts at the time and Bill Watts, for some reason, didn't like Eric, and so he piled a whole bunch of work on him. And Eric can tell you this story.

"When we were doing the international TV markets over in Canada, one night Eric had so much stuff to do, it was just unreal, and I stayed there with him, but they were messing with him. That's why they threw all that work on him, and I said, 'Come on. I'll stay,' and I stayed till midnight one night. Me and Eric doing infomercials all night because I wanted to help him and because he couldn't do all that stuff, and they knew it, but I stayed there with him. So me and Eric have been friends a long time and congratulations to him once again."

You can follow Teddy on Twitter @teddyplayalong. You can find the full audio and video from Teddy's interview below: