Eric Bischoff: WWE HOFer 'Tried To Smarten Me Up' During Early Days With WCW

Many wrestling fans know Eric Bischoff as Vince McMahon's number one rival during the "Monday Night Wars," when Bischoff's WCW went up against the then-WWF in a war for ratings that went on for years. Bischoff, however, started as a commentator in the company before working his way up to senior vice president of WCW. On an episode of "83 Weeks," Bischoff spoke about his first days in Ted Turner's company, and his relationship with future WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes.

Bischoff explained his initial contract as an announcer paid him $70K a year, but to him, it might as well have been $700K after leaving the AWA. He described it almost as a culture shock going from the promotion, which he said barely had enough equipment to produce a show, to having offices at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

"The post-production facility at WCW was pretty small and unimpressive compared to what we all see today, but at that time, for me, I never thought I'd see such a thing or have an opportunity to work at a location like that or with facilities like that," he said. "I remember getting to the building. I remember talking to Dusty. Dusty kind of took me under his wing. I don't want to overstate this. I don't want to say 'mentor,' but he kept an eye out for me and he tried to smarten me up as best he could. Dusty was my boss, so developing that relationship with Dusty was a big part of that first event."

Rhodes worked as a member of WCW's booking team starting in 1991. He joined the company after already making his name across the territories and WWF.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "83 Weeks" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.