Ernest “The Cat” Miller recently reflected on the trust he developed with Eric Bischoff during their time together in WCW and explained why he was willing to leave behind a successful karate career to pursue professional wrestling.
When discussing how the relationship began, Miller said his decision came down to one thing.
“It was purely on trust. Eric had done everything he said he was going to do. He never lied to me. Not one time. Everything he told me was exactly how it played out, and that’s not something you find every day in this business.”
“When somebody tells you they’re going to do something and then they actually do it, that means a lot. I saw that from Eric. Every time he told me something, he followed through on it.”
Miller said Bischoff’s approach behind the scenes helped establish confidence among the talent.
“His door was never locked or closed. You could always go talk to him. You could always walk in and ask him a question. You always felt like he would listen to what you had to say.”
“That made a difference because a lot of times in wrestling people don’t know where they stand. With Eric, you felt like you could have a conversation and get an honest answer.”
The former WCW star admitted leaving karate behind was not an easy decision.
“I loved karate. That was my life. That’s what I had done for years. That’s what I knew. That’s what I was comfortable doing. Walking away from that wasn’t some easy thing where I just woke up one day and decided I was done.”
“But I trusted Eric. I believed what he was telling me. I believed in the opportunity and I believed he was going to do what he said he was going to do.”
Looking back, Miller believes the decision ultimately paid off.
“It worked out. It really did. I was blessed. I got opportunities that I never would have had otherwise and I got to do things that I never imagined I would get to do.”
“When I look back on it now, I don’t regret it at all. It changed my life.”
As the conversation continued, Miller again emphasized that trust was the foundation of everything.
“At the end of the day, it came down to trust. That’s really what it was. I trusted Eric Bischoff. He earned that trust and because of that I was willing to take a chance on something completely different.”
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit and link to the original source with a h/t and link back to WrestlingHeadlines.com for the transcription.
