Eric Bischoff has rejected the suggestion that he and Hulk Hogan were responsible for TNA’s decline.
Speaking on 83 Weeks, Bischoff said he had creative involvement but no authority over the company’s operations or finances.
“I had zero—zero—operational control of TNA. I couldn’t hire anybody. I couldn’t fire anybody. I couldn’t give anybody a raise. Nor did I freaking want to.
“I wanted nothing to do with the operation of TNA, so much so that I made it clear in my agreement that I’m not going to be involved in anything other than the creative I had agreed to do and oversee. Dixie was fine with that because she didn’t want me involved either. They wanted to run TNA the way they wanted to run TNA, and I was more than happy to let them have that.”
Bischoff called the claim that he or Hogan possessed enough authority to kill the company “hilarious.”
“To suggest that either Hulk or I had the ability to kill that company is hilarious. I’d like to know the basis for that.”
Bischoff said neither man was consulted about TNA’s financial decisions.
“Those decisions had nothing to do with Hulk Hogan. They certainly didn’t have anything to do with me. Not only could we not influence those decisions, we weren’t even aware of them.”
Bischoff explained that he joined TNA because Hogan asked him to watch over his creative direction.
“I went there because of Hulk, because he asked me as a friend to come in and kind of keep an eye on his creative because Vince Russo was involved. We all know what happened the last time those two worked together back then. So, I said, ‘Sure.’”
The former WCW executive said he does not regret accepting the opportunity.
“Do I regret it? No. Are there things that I would do differently? Of course. I think most people, if they’re honest with themselves and others, would agree that it’s kind of hard to go through life without saying, ‘Man, if I had to do that all over again, I’d do it differently.’
“I also got to work with my son and give my son an opportunity that was important to him. I’ll always be grateful for that. My relationship with Hulk was important to me and the trust that he had in me, and to be able to help him in that regard. If the situation was exactly the same today, I would probably make a very similar choice.”
Bischoff acknowledged advocating for TNA to leave its soundstage and begin running live events on the road.
“Did I advocate for taking the show on the road live? Absolutely, I did. Did my voice carry a certain amount of weight with it? Yes, it did.
“Any wrestling show shot inside of a soundstage is destined to die. I believed it then, and I believe it now. You can’t build this brand and this company, TNA, inside of a soundstage. Either invest in yourself or you’re going to slowly die.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit 83 Weeks, with a h/t to Wrestling Headlines for the transcription.
