On a recent edition of his “83 Weeks” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff discussed Ronda Rousey’s recent criticism of WWE and Vince McMahon, the promo segment with CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, and Seth Rollins on WWE RAW, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On Ronda Rousey recently blasting Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and Bruce Prichard: “It leaves a bad taste — I’ve never had a real high opinion of Ronda anyway. I mean, in MMA I did. I really, really enjoyed watching her. Nothing but respect for her background in judo, and the fact that she could transition into MMA and did really well for a while. But when she got knocked out by Holly Holm, that was it. That changed her dramatically. And even her character, her personality, character in UFC? She was kind of whiny, just whiny. When they brought her into WWE and made her a babyface, I was — it didn’t make sense to me. Because he’s not a babyface, just kind of a — she’s not. She’s a much better heel. But they wanted to cast her as a babyface. It was a very, very — it was square peg in a round hole for Ronda. Because she’s not a performer, she’s not an actress. Although she’s done some acting, she’s learning, and she’s getting better. But for the most part, she’s an athlete trying to become a performer, at least she wasn’t WWE at that time. And she wasn’t able to pull it off.
“So, number one, she was miscast. And I never really felt like she really wanted to be there. I always had this feeling — it doesn’t mean I’m right about it, but it was just my feeling that she was along, she was in it for payday. She wasn’t really passionate about what she was doing. I think when Holly Holm knocked her out, she lost her passion for just about everything, and she was there for the money. That was my impression. However, right or wrong I am. And to hear this all now, it just sounds so bitter, and so angry that I kind of feel the way I felt about her when she lost to Holly Holm in UFC when she just came out and was just b**chy about it. Look, you got knocked out. And she got knocked the f**k out. I’ve been there, I know how that feels. It is not a great feeling, especially when you go back and watch it over and over and over again, and know that the world is watching it over and over. But that — I think something changed in like I don’t know her. I’ve never said a word to her, never had a word of conversation. I don’t know if I’m right or wrong, but it’s just the way I feel. A vibe I get from her her. I just — she’s a bitter, angry woman. And I hope she sells a lot of books. Because she’s really I think she’s burying herself.”
On CM Punk missing WrestleMania match due to injury: “I’m glad you brought up Punk and Drew and Seth. Sitting through that, I actually felt bad. I empathized with Punk because he can’t wrestle, right? He can’t really do anything physical on the ring. Right? Obviously, the audience wanted to see him. They wanted him to be a real part of the show. But that’s a tough spot to be in. It’s a tough spot to be in when you can’t do anything, and everybody knows you can’t do it.”
On the Punk, Rollins, and McIntyre promo from RAW: “So I thought — and as I’m listening to this, I listened to it closely. I’m thinking, ‘Man, they’re spending a lot of time just to make a point that CM Punk is going to be on commentary? Like, who the f**k cares, really?’ I mean, if you’re a big CM Punk fan, of course you’re gonna be happy. But it’s not like he’s going to go out there and do anything other than run his mouth. I don’t know what the timeline is for him to get back in the ring or not. I’m guessing it’s [months]. Yeah, so it’s not going to be like a week after WrestleMania, he’s going to be in a match or he’s going to be in a program. That’s not it.
“But I’m sitting through that segment, and I’m thinking ‘This is — you’re spending way too much time on this.’ And there were some awkward moments and reactions because it was — my feeling was, if it was scripted it was loosely scripted. I could be wrong. But it had enough peaks and valleys in terms of its quality… It wasn’t as fluid as scripted promos tend to be, therefore it felt real. And I loved that. But I thought, ‘Man, this is going on too long.’ And then came the finish of the segment. And Seth, side kick, boom. And now, all of a sudden, however long that segment was. It might have been six minutes or eight minutes. All of a sudden, it all made sense. It worked. Because they finished it, they’ve finished it perfectly. And you delivered on it.”
