As we reported yesterday here on eWn, Eric Bischoff will be joining the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021. During the latest edition of his “After 83 Weeks” podcast, Bischoff said he wanted Hulk Hogan to be the one to induct him. As many of you know by now, Hogan will be in town for WrestleMania weekend as he’ll be hosting the event alongside Titus O’Neil. You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
Do fans’ high expectations for his speech make him nervous: “A little bit, but I’m pretty comfortable speaking from the heart and just ad-libbing and improvising. I made up my mind this morning actually that I am not going to spend a lot of time preparing anything. I’m just going to see how I feel in the moment, and whatever comes out comes out. So hopefully it will be great. Hopefully people won’t be disappointed.”
Is he under a WWE Legends contract: “No.”
Did he expect the announcement on After the Bell with Corey Graves?: “I’m not going to lie. The thought crossed my mind just because of timing…The interview on Corey’s podcast was already scheduled three weeks ago, and I didn’t really think too much of it when I scheduled it…Then after the Molly [Holly announcement], I’m just looking at the timing, I’m going, it could happen. But I’ve gone through this now for the past five or six years, where I suspected possibly, perhaps [I would be inducted] just because of all the chatter, and I’ve always just been able to go yeah well, if it happens it happens and if it doesn’t, it’s OK.”
Will he be involved in NWO’s induction?: “No, I don’t think so. They’re two separate things. A little bit of me goes a long way. I can’t spread this act too thin.”
On who will induct him: “I don’t know that there’s an obvious answer to me. Clearly Hulk [Hogan] is one of my best friends, and the history that we have together in the industry and the friendship that we’ve maintained…Certainly, if I have to sit down and think about that that’s probably where I’m going to go to first. But I’ve got a family that I would love to see up there too, and sharing that moment. My wife, or my wife and my kids, or there are other people. Bill Shaw, Who gave me the real opportunity that I had in WCW, would be someone that I would think about. There’s a lot of people that come to my mind that make sense.”
His history with WWE and Vince McMahon: “In ‘98 when WWE and WCW were at each other‘s throats I’m pretty sure that if I had been walking across the street in Stamford, Connecticut at the wrong time and I wasn’t looking, and I didn’t see that bad ass black Bentley coming, it would’ve run me over! It was that heated. Now it’s like it all comes full circle. It all comes back around, and some of the best relationships I have are with people in WWE. Some of the best friends I have are in WWE.”
