WWE Hall Of Famer Eric Bischoff Compares Launching RAF To Taking Over WCW

Eric Bischoff is gearing up for Real American Freestyle's first show on August 30 in Cleveland, Ohio, though he won't have his friend and business partner, the late Hulk Hogan by his side to see their freestyle wrestling athletes take to the mat. Before Hogan's passing on July 24, Bischoff sat down on "The Ariel Helwani Show" to talk about the venture, and Helwani reminded the former WCW executive that he was nearing the 30th anniversary of taking over WWF's biggest competition. Bischoff compared the stresses of launching RAF to taking over duties in WCW ahead of "The Monday Night Wars."

"Real American Freestyle is a little bit more of a challenge because there's no infrastructure," he explained. "It was just like four guys sitting around a table 90 days ago. It was just a conversation and now here we are, pulling the trigger and executing. So, all the little things that usually go fairly smoothly when you've got an infrastructure in place and you've got a team in place and have some experience. We're starting from scratch and we're doing everything from the ground up. So, it's a little more of a challenge in that respect, but to me, it's more fun."

Bischoff said that it was a different challenge, and since that interview, it has assumably only gotten more difficult with the passing of Hogan. It was revealed just days before Hogan's death that a TV deal for RAF had been reached, and the promotion will stream on Fox Nation. On the day of Hogan's passing, Bischoff posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the "show goes on, BROTHER!" in regards to the promotion the pair were set to launch together.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Ariel Helwani Show" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.