Eric Bischoff On Working With Shane McMahon & Sensing Some Resentment From Stephanie

On a recent episode of "83 Weeks," Eric Bischoff reflected on his match against Shane McMahon at SummerSlam 2003, and whether he was nervous about entering the ring against a proven performer such as McMahon. 

At the time, Bischoff had limited in-ring experience, with most of his matches either being a front for other rivalries or just a stage for him to take an a-s-kicking for the benefit of the crowds. However, in the lead-up to SummerSlam, Bischoff built himself up as a black belt in martial arts determined to teach McMahon a lesson, a fallout from his making improper remarks to Linda McMahon.

"I was excited about it — I've always liked Shane," Bischoff began. "He's so intense, physical, passionate, and talented. I was a little concerned about how I was going to perform. Typically, when I got into the ring, I was just there to get my a-s kicked and pay off a storyline. 

"He is ... I don't want to say stiff because that's an understatement. But I was excited, it was a great opportunity — I knew there would be a lot of focus on the match and there was a story backing it up."

In the lead-up to the match, Stephanie McMahon made references to Bischoff trying to put her family out of business during the Monday Night Wars, and why the former WCW President deserved his comeuppance. When asked if his relationship with Shane or Stephanie soured over the promos, Bischoff downplayed the same, revealing he "got along with Shane from Day 1" and had "a great conversation" the first time their paths crossed in WWE.

That said, Biscoff was more coy about his relationship with Stephanie. "Even to this day, there is a little bit of — I don't want to say resentment — but there's always the underlying current of, 'This is the guy that tried to put my family out of business.' Stephanie didn't go out of her way to hide that, and I appreciated that since it was honest. She wasn't phony about anything. I never got that impression with Shane."