WWE: Did Eric Bischoff Really Want To Put Vince McMahon Out Of Business?

During the heyday of WCW, Eric Bischoff was at the epicenter of the New World Order, it's rise to prominence, and eventually it's demise from oversaturation. That combined with his on-air persona has made Bischoff one of the most polarizing and interesting characters professional wrestling has ever had. He was also prone to making grand statements, one of which happened to resurface during a new WWE documentary.

WWE recently released a new installment of Beyond The Ring called Eric Bischoff - Sports-entertainments Most Controversial Figure. In it, several superstars who worked with Bischoff during the WCW days, including Chris Jericho and Kevin Nash, were interviewed about various Bischoff moments, and at one point Jericho recalls a conversation about WWE, specifically a prediction that it would close it's doors very soon.

"He had like team meetings. Two of them I recall were in St. Louis, the TWA dome, the stadium, and he said: "I guarantee WWE will go out of business in six months."

The competition was fierce during those days, and WCW played the part of the upstart underdog who successfully removed the top dog from its perch. Being humble or subtle wasn't in WCW's DNA at that time, so it's not exactly shocking to hear that Bischoff would say that, and frankly it's surprising it didn't make it to television.

When asked about the comments, Bishoff is realistic about the whole thing, and while he doesn't remember the event specifically, it sounds like something he would say.

"I don't recall ever saying it, but I know I did, but it was my way motivating myself. It was my way of trying to motivate the people around me. It was my way of showing an unbelievable amount of confidence that I had in myself, my team, the vision, but it didn't mean that I was anxious to put anybody literally out of business. I was anxious and determined to be number one, at any and all costs. I'll cop to that, but I won't cop to wanting to see anybody lose their business or lose their livelihood."

WCW was really the last definitive alternative to the WWE, and professional wrestling is an industry that thrives when it has competition. Ironically the best alternative to mainstream WWE has been the internally developed NXT brand.

You can watch the entire clip in the video above, and Eric Bischoff: Sports-entertainments Most Controversial Figure is on the WWE network.