Eric Bischoff on WWE Hall of Fame, WCW’s Legacy, and Women’s Revolution

A recent episode of Main Event Radio podcast show had Eric Bischoff as the guest and topics including WWE’s Hall of Fame, WCW’s legacy, and the Women’s Revolution.

When asked about returning to the WWE to induct Diamond Dallas Page into the Hall of Fame, Bischoff stated he had a lot of fun overall and met a lot of people, both new and old.

It was a lot of fun. You get to meet so many people who are behind the camera. They have such a hard-working loyal, professional and dedicated staff. I was probably just as excited to see people who work behind the scenes as those in front of the camera. The woman who handles travel who has been there for 31 years. The production team, they all know who they are and they’re a great staff of people.

Continuing the talk about WWE’s Hall of Fame, Bischoff stated he was very honored to induct DDP but also felt a bit unworthy since Dusty Rhodes would have been a better choice had he not passed away. Still had a lot of happiness for DDP achieving a big milestone in his career.

It was a blast. It was an emotional moment. I knew how much it would mean to him. Thus it meant a lot to me to be able to do it. I felt bad in a way. I was kind of conflicted because in Page’s heart he wished and still does wish that Dusty Rhodes would’ve been able to do that. I felt like such a distant insignificant 2nd choice as a result. I also know that Page has a lot of respect for me and I do for him. I wish Dusty could’ve done it. Dusty was a mentor to Dallas in more ways than just getting in the ring. He had an influence on his entire life.

Later in the interview, Bischoff stated WCW’s legacy to wrestling has started to become more apparent as more past stars get inducted to WWE’s Hall of Fame. Claimed the rebirth of cruisers in WWE and past WCW stars main eventing Wrestlemanias are some of the proof WCW will never completely fade away from the public.

People are finally figuring it out that at the end of the day that WCW created some of the best talent in the history of the world. It was a great run. WCW had its moment and that’s what it was; it was a moment. And we created some great stories and changed the industry to a large degree. The fact that we are watching a live Monday Night Raw every week is due to Nitro. The fact that we are watching 205 Live and the cruiserweight division is because of what we did. There are so many things that we changed in the industry that we still enjoy today. Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, myself, and even Bill Goldberg for crying out loud main eventing Wrestlemania. That is WCW’s legacy. We are still here today. The nWo is still selling merchandise 20 years later. That’s our legacy.

When asked about his feelings towards WWE’s Women’s Revolution, Bischoff stated hearing Beth Phoenix’s speech at the Hall of Fame made him realize the hard work women wrestlers have put in over the years. Also the hard work being done by the current crop of women wrestlers towards changing the division’s perception within the WWE.

I was sitting in the front row during Beth [Phoenix]’s speech. I had never met her before and she made me cry 3 times. She was so emotional and she was speaking from her heart. She really crystallized for me the growth we are seeing now in women’s wrestling. To see her talk about what it means for her as a girl, as a woman to be able to aspire to reach the level that she did in WWE and to know that same emotion and desire exists in young girls all over the world. It’s possible, yes you can do it, and when you do you can now achieve that level of success.