ERIC BISCHOFF REVEALS DENNIS RODMAN PAYDAY, ADMITS HE ENCOURAGED PHYSICALITY AT NBA FINALS, TALKS TORRIE WILSON IN HOF & MORE
This week on the after show for his 83 Weeks podcast, After 83 Weeks with Christy Olson, Eric Bischoff discloses the huge paycheck he wrote toDennis Rodman for the NBA star to appear in WCW. Eric also admits he encouraged Rodman and rival player Karl Malone to ignite their kayfabe feud on camera during the 1997 NBA finals. Plus the former Raw GM praises Torrie Wilson, following the announcement of her WWE Hall of Fame induction, and recounts Jay Leno’s surprising reaction when he pitched The Tonight Show segment with Hulk Hogan.
Eric reveals Dennis Rodman’s WCW payday: The total fee was just a little over $1 million, like a million and change. But that was for a number of different appearances. It wasn’t just for one appearance. I know that sounds like a ton of money, and it is a ton of money…But in the big scheme of things you know, Mike Tyson probably got three times that much. Other performers in WWF get much, much bigger numbers. And I knew, the math I did going into that negotiation, as I said a few minutes ago I had a number in my head, because in my mind getting Dennis Rodman would create a certain amount of buzz that if I had to pay for would probably cost me three times that much money…The press that I knew I would get from that I really wouldn’t even be able to buy.
Admits he encouraged Rodman and Karl Malone physicality at the NBA Finals, before the two were set to face off in WCW: I got ahold of Dennis through his manager at the time, Dwight Manley. I said look, nothing during the game. I don’t want to be accused of screwing up a game, be it playoffs. But if there’s any chance when you guys are kind of in between, or if you’re off court you know near the court there’s cameras running, if you guys could like push and shove each other a little bit, you know kind of raise the heat, raise the temperature just a bit. I wouldn’t be disappointed if something like that were to happen. I’m not telling you to do it! I’m just telling you if something were to happen like that, I’d be pretty happy about it.
Recounts pitching The Tonight Show segment to Jay Leno: I’m literally booking this whole thing on the fly. I said, well I don’t know maybe Hogan and I come down and we throw you off your set, take over your show. You tell a couple jokes about him which will piss him off and that’s why we’re going to come down and throw you off your own set. Jay went, yeah, I can see that, yeah. I went, holy s*** he’ll do it! I didn’t think he would do that. I thought it was going to be like, yeah I’ll work Hulk Hogan’s corner, or you know some peripheral celebrity kind of typical formula. Nope, he wanted to get in the ring. He wanted to have a match and he didn’t care if we threw him off of his own set to do it! So that was pretty cool.
On Torrie Wilson: She’s such a sweet person and she works really, really hard. You know, as beautiful as she is and as shy and demure as she comes off being sometimes, deep down inside she’s a beast. She works really, really, really hard. She’s got a great work ethic. Most importantly she’s got an extremely positive attitude, and it kind of radiates.
For more with Eric watch the latest After 83 Weeks with Christy Olson here: https://youtu.be/gRyxFYVis5s or listen on Apple Podcasts:https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/after-83-weeks-with-christy-olson-afterbuzz-tv/id1438060090?mt=2&i=1000425693158.
About the show: After 83 Weeks with Christy Olson is the first ever podcast about a podcast! Christy and co-hosts Steve Kaufmann, Christian Rosenberg, and George Hermoza offer insight on the latest episode of 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff, covering revelations, fan reactions, and more. An AfterBuzz TV Wrestling and Sports production, the show airs on Eric Bischoff’s 83 Weeks YouTube channel, and features a weekly Q&A with Eric himself.
