Tony Schiavone Wasn't Surprised By WCW's Demise, Eric Bischoff Just Prolonged It

For almost twenty years, Tony Schiavone saw the highs and lows of WCW — beginning during the promotion's Jim Crockett years and going through the glory days of the Monday Night Wars — before WCW finally closed shop in 2001. But Schiavone's time in WCW wasn't always positive, particularly when he returned to WCW from WWE in 1990. It was a decision he has since revealed he immediately regretted.

A big reason, as Schiavone shared on the latest episode of "What Happened When," was because of what he described as the sad state of affairs in WCW during that time. 

"During this era, between 1990 and before Eric [Bischoff] took over, I was just kind of waiting for all of this to end," Schiavone said. "I was waiting for it. I thought in my mind, any time, Turner is going to say 'You're done.'"

Schiavone admitted that things did get better once Bischoff assumed control of WCW in 1993, which would eventually serve as the catalyst for WCW's most successful run. Even still, Schiavone also now sees that period as just delaying the inevitable, and that Turner overseeing WCW always meant the promotion was never out of the woods."

"Bischoff just prolonged it," Schiavone said. "That's all he did. He came in with great ideas and a great vision and did great things, and it just prolonged what the eventual reality would be, and that is Turner getting tired of wrestling."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "What Happened When" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription