Eric Bischoff Reveals How Vince McMahon Convinced Him To Join WWE

Eric Bischoff is one of the most infamous figures in the history of professional wrestling. Back during the Monday Night Wars in the 1990s, Eric came dangerously close to putting WWE out of business, but Vince McMahon persevered and beat the competition, and in the end it was WCW that went of out business.

Bischoff eventually joined WWE when he became the General Manager of Monday Night Raw, and many people were shocked to see him work with his former rival. However, Eric was recently a guest on Lilian Garcia’s Making Their Way To The Ring, and he told her that he turned WWE down the first time they called.

“They had called about a year before and people don’t know this ya they called me about a year before you know Vince called me in whatever it was 2002. In 2001 I was in Wyoming in the summer and I got a call from JR, and JR wasn’t exactly excited to call me at the time you know he still had a chip on his shoulder a little bit and he called me and said, “hey you wanna come in and work a program?” and I said, “well, whats the program?” and he said, “well we’re working on it” and I said, “well sure, when would you want me to start?” “you gotta be here Monday” well this is like Friday and I had a house full of people, it was over the 4th of July, I had like twenty five or thirty people, friends and relatives that had driven in from all over the country for a family reunion and I’m thinking ya I’m not just gonna pick up go up there for a Monday Night Raw to participate in something what they’re not really sure what it is quite yet, it wasn’t right you know, so I politely passed and when I did I thought well that will be the last time they call me.”

As we all know, Eric eventually gave in and joined WWE. The former WCW star noted that it was Vince McMahon who convinced him to join the company, and he was sold on the idea because of something Vince McMahon said to him.

“We got on the phone and the first thing he said to me, and I’m paraphrasing this okay so it’s not exact words, but he basically said right out of the shoot he goes you know Eric I would like to think that if the situation would have turned out differently and you would’ve come out on top, that you would reach out to me for an opportunity to step back in…what a gracious, elegant, classy, humble thing to say.”

You can check out the full episode below.