Eric Bischoff Reveals That Vince McMahon Was Interested In Buying Playboy

During the latest episode of the 83 Weeks Podcast, Eric Bischoff discussed former WCW commentator and sportscaster Mark Madden and his abilities as a wrestling commentator. Bischoff admitted that he's surprised that Madden isn't working with any wrestling company, but noted why he shouldn't work for WWE.

"I think he should be working in wrestling," Bischoff said. "I don't think he will and I certainly don't see him in WWE. He absolutely doesn't fit the stereotypical look and sound of what WWE is looking for, which I think is a mistake."

Bischoff noted Madden's skills as a wrestling commentator and his potential to tell great stories. He also compared him to one of the greatest sports commentators in history, John Madden.

"John Madden was a horse face," Bischoff said. "John Madden was not built for television. John Madden had what is commonly referred to in the entertainment world as a radio face. I don't think there's ever been anybody better on television talking about football than John Madden. I think he's the best. He's entertaining, he's real, he's passionate and he's just got a way of saying things that even if the subject of what he talks about isn't interesting he made it interesting.

"I think Mark Madden is wrestling's version of John Madden. That's my opinion. Would he need a little coaching? Of course he would. But man, I think he would add credibility and entertainment. Maybe not every week because Mark is strong. Mark can overwhelm a booth because he's just got that strong delivery personality but that's what makes him gold. I would like to see him back in the business, I don't know what his goals and desires are but if he was interested in doing it and someone was interested in Mark, I'd love to see that happen."

Joe Francis is known for being the founder of Girls Gone Wild and was involved in a segment on WWE television where he invited Torrie Wilson to a Girls Gone Wild event. Bischoff mentioned how he set Francis up with WWE and the McMahon family during the 2000s. He said also revealed that Vince McMahon and Francis were both interested in purchasing the Playboy magazine business, so he set the two up again to talk business.

"I hooked up Joe Francis and WWE to do a show / pay-per-view," Bischoff said. "I set up a meeting with Joe Francis and Linda McMahon because Vince [McMahon] was interested in buying Playboy and Joe Francis was also interested in buying Playboy for different reasons so they both had different goals. They were both interested in the same property so I got those two together and Linda had a meeting with Joe in Los Angeles because of me."

Bischoff talked about how he first came to know Francis. He said Francis did a lot of things to hurt himself and his brand. Bischoff also mentioned how he hasn't seen him in more than a decade.

"Joe was all over the map," Bischoff said. "You'd be in the middle of a conversation with Joe and you'd think you were talking about his Ferrari and within 6 or 8 seconds he's talking about something completely different. No, I'm not friends with Joe but I've done business with Joe. In some ways, I respect some of the things he innovated."

"I haven't talked to Joe in 15 years. I know he's living in Mexico in a big mansion because you'll see the Kardashians and a bunch of people will go down there to party with Joe. He still has that network of Hollywood types that he likes to party with because he can't get into the United States without getting arrested."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit 83 Weeks with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.