Eric Bischoff On Why He Really Fired Steve Austin From WCW

As the legend goes WCW was a torrid place to work. Creative decisions were made by a mysterious booking committee and nobody had a good time. There were a handful of top dollar talent who had an amazing time though, but they also had creative control. If you weren’t Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, or Scott Hall you were pretty much left to fend for yourself.

Eric Bischoff has taken a lot of blame from those years he ran WCW. He’s gotten heat from the WWE side for doing things like timing commercial breaks to come back before Raw or even giving away the match finishes Vince McMahon and Company had planned. He also has heat from the WCW side for just about everything else he did. Most of these things are water under the bridge nowadays, but they’re still not remembered fondly.

The former head of WCW and Raw General Manager recently spoke to the Brooklyn Brawler Steven Lombardi on his Bischoff On Wrestling Overrun podcast. During the interview Brooklyn Brawler turned the table on Bischoff by asking him about one of the many things that Eric’s been blamed for in pro wrestling history.

Brooklyn Brawler asked Eric if he fired Stone Cold back in the day because he didn’t think he could make money. As the legend goes that’s why Eric fired Austin and he did so by fax.

Bischoff went into why he really fired Steve Austin from WCW all those years ago and was very succinct in his reply. “I fired Steve because he was perennially injured and he had a bad attitude and he blew me off on the phone. It had nothing to do with whether or not I thought he could make money. But that made good narrative.”

Therefore the legend of Eric Bischoff looking at Steve Austin in WCW and saying he couldn’t draw a dime very well might not be the entire story. After all, it’s pretty hard to get a better source than the man himself. Of course, Steve Austin could always have a different perspective of things. But nobody can deny Austin leaving WCW was the best thing for the future Rattlesnake.

If you use any portion of the quotes in this article please credit Bischoff On Wrestling Overrun with a H/T to Still Real To Us for the transcription