On the latest edition of his 83 Weeks podcast WWE Hall of Famer and former WCW President Eric Bischoff spoke about pro-wrestling star Glacier, and what the story was behind the creation of the famed WCW character. Hear Bischoff’s full comments on the story below.
Says the character was a ripoff of the hit video game series, Mortal Kombat:
“It’s a Mortal Kombat ripoff. It’s not that hard to explain or understand. But yes, we had something completely different that was a complete contrast to the reality that was working so well. But it wasn’t like I wanted our entire show to look or feel like what we were doing with the nWo. Number one, not everybody was on board with the nWo idea. Even for people who did enjoy the nWo and the reality element to it, they still enjoyed the other styles of presentation that existed in pro wrestling – from the goofy Dungeon of Doom nonsense to yes, a Mortal Kombat derivitive because wrestling needs to appeal to the widest variety of audience you can. If you’re going to zero in on one style of wrestling…..if all you’re gonna do is focus on that one style of presentation, you’re gonna lose. The Mortal Kombat franchise was a fucking hot property and there was massive licensing and gaming opportunities in that category. The whole idea was a direct contract to the reality we were trying to integrate into the nWo and to WCW as a whole. But given the same circumstances, if I was transported back without the benefit of hindsight, I’m not sure I wouldn’t try doing the same thing again. Maybe not exactly the same thing, but a version thereof. I just don’t think it was as odd as it is being treated in some respects. The Glacier character is almost a punchline, and that’s unfortunate.”
How the character was used to appeal to video companies:
“I was all-in on the Glacier character and the presentation of it. That whole idea was to appeal to video game companies. We wanted WCW to be in the video game business. It was a licensing and merchandising-driven idea, and I was totally committed to it. Obviously, financially, I spent a great deal of money creating the vignettes and lighting and character design and all of that. I did it for a very specific reason, and I was 100 percent committed to that idea. If it worked, I’d be a hero. If it didn’t, I wouldn’t be. So I wasn’t looking for a compromised solution anywhere in the process. It was one idea, one commitment played out to the end, good or bad.”
(H/T and transcribed by 411 Mania)