Eric Bischoff Says This WWE Hall Of Famer Would've Been Forgotten If WCW Signed Him

In the height of the Monday Night Wars, WWE and WCW tried to sign all of the top free agents from around the world, the top stars from other companies, and even lure talent away from their rivals to join them. Eric Bischoff was able to secure many high-profile signatures, with the core members of the nWo being the most notable, but WWE secured the signature of the 1996 Olympic gold medalist, Kurt Angle.

However, in an alternate universe, Angle wouldn't have signed with WWE, and instead would have joined the ranks of WCW. On a recent edition of the "83 Weeks" podcast, Bischoff is glad that Angle didn't sign with WCW towards the end of the '90s. 

"In 1999 or 2000, I think Kurt Angle would have come and gone and nobody would be talking about him to this day," said Bischoff. "People would have forgotten about him. That's not a good time to become — to emerge as a star in WCW. It was possibly one of the worst times to emerge as a star because nobody would notice or care at that point."

Bischoff explained that WCW was in a chaotic state by the end of 1999, and in 2000 their days were spent putting out fires in a desperate attempt to keep the company not just relevant, but afloat, leading to a depressing atmosphere that Angle simply wouldn't have thrived in. The WWE Hall of Famer isn't the only person to share this line of thought as Angle revealed that Ric Flair personally told him not to join WCW as the company would have likely buried him.

Please credit "83 Weeks" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.