WWE Hall Of Famer Eric Bischoff Explains The Interest In WCW's 'Flameout'

The end of WCW still lingers in the minds of wrestling fans for the many "what ifs" that will forever be unfulfilled. New ownership, a re-launch pay-per-view, new program creative, and potential new video games were on the horizon for WCW before the promotion was abruptly sold to Vince McMahon.

On "83 Weeks," the former Senior Vice President of WCW Eric Bischoff, explained what made people interested in the end of WCW.

"I think partly because WCW and 'Nitro' and the Monday Night Wars that it created and just the amount of excitement in wrestling at that time makes WCW's flameout even more interesting because everybody was so into it at the time," Bischoff began to answer.

Bischoff criticized dirt sheet newsletters and writers, specifically Dave Meltzer, for putting out narratives that were opinion-based. "The real story is far more fascinating, far more fascinating," Bischoff teased. "It's a cautionary tale about vertical integration and merger mania, and what happens to companies that had a lot going for them and as a result of a merger ended up being less than. There's a lot of those to talk about."

New management with Turner were not wrestling fans and did not help the struggling promotion following which Bischoff decided to partner with Fusient Media to purchase WCW from Turner Broadcasting. Turner was not willing to give Bischoff and Fusient airtime on their networks, thus rendering WCW valueless, and the promotion's key assets were ultimately sold to WWE for $4.2 million.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.