Bischoff’s podcast makes clear how his pro-AWA anti-JCP informed his booking in WCW

[Dusty Bake Activate]

I never liked how he made the horsemen glorified jobbers to the NWO.

When he was asked about it on his podcast he said he’s from Minnesota and he grew up on the AWA so the horsemen “weren’t on his radar.”

He also said he had a meeting with the whole locker room and he said the only people here who have ever drawn money were Hoegan and Piper and some wrestlers got mad. So he basically felt the horsemen or anyone from JCP never drew money because JCP didn’t count.

He had the NWO mopping the floor with them and then when it looked like the horsemen may have become formidable again with Curt Hennig, it was a swerve that led to another gratuitous horsemen humiliation in Charlotte leaving the crowd totally dejected when Hennig slammed Flair’s head in the cage and joined the NWO while Flair got carted away, followed by the NWO parody on Nitro.

Of course Hennig was AWA alumni as well as Scott Hall and Hoegan. He jumps out the window overstating AWA’s influence on 83 weeks at times. One time he said Vern Gagne created hulkamania, not Vince McMahon and Conrad Thompson started laughing in his face and calling him full of shyt.

 

[Ruby'sRevolver]

His podcast also makes it clear that he knows very little about pro wrestling.

 

[Toe Jay Simpson]

This man has been in the business 30 years and all he had to contribute was 2 years of good material

 

[supertrekker]

I never liked how he made the horsemen glorified jobbers to the NWO.

When he was asked about it on his podcast he said he’s from Minnesota and he grew up on the AWA so the horsemen “weren’t on his radar.”

He also said he had a meeting with the whole locker room and he said the only people here who have ever drawn money were Hoegan and Piper and some wrestlers got mad. So he basically felt the horsemen or anyone from JCP never drew money because JCP didn’t count.

He had the NWO mopping the floor with them and then when it looked like the horsemen may have become formidable again with Curt Hennig, it was a swerve that led to another gratuitous horsemen humiliation in Charlotte leaving the crowd totally dejected when Hennig slammed Flair’s head in the cage and joined the NWO while Flair got carted away, followed by the NWO parody on Nitro.

Of course Hennig was AWA alumni as well as Scott Hall and Hoegan. He jumps out the window overstating AWA’s influence on 83 weeks at times. One time he said Vern Gagne created hulkamania, not Vince McMahon and Conrad Thompson started laughing in his face and calling him full of shyt.

The NWO were bigger and badder. The horsemen were old and smaller uncharismatic wrestlers. Arn and Flair's hey days were done by then and how else was he suppose to get the NWO over if they didn't beat WCW's top stable.

 

[Rice N Beans]

Horsemen didn't really fit the times. You needed more grit instead of "we're good wrestlers". Sting had a revamp, Hart toed the line, even Hogan turned heel. Horsemen were not providing that.

 

[Jello Biafra]

One time he said Vern Gagne created hulkamania, not Vince McMahon and Conrad Thompson started laughing in his face and calling him full of shyt.

That isn't a complete fabrication.

Hogan went back to AWA still playing the heel role and was basically the Thunderlips character from Rocky 3 with Johnny Valiant as his manager (in place of Freddie Blassie who played that role in WWF) but AWA fans started cheering him so he made the face turn not long after coming back to AWA.

This was Hogan as a heel:


Then when he turned face Hogan was just a straight laced corny good guy:


Then Rocky 3 came out and Hogan's profile rose so he re-worked his gimmick and started the Hulkster and Hulkamania/Hulkamaniacs stuff and becoming the patriotic hero. The difference is very evident:


And this is not too long before he returned to WWF:



That is basically the character that Vince decided to run with when he took over WWF from his dad only he and Hogan added the more kid-friendly "say your prayers/take your vitamins" aspect to the gimmick.

So Verne Gagne did have a hand in the creation of "Hulkamania" but Verne being the out of touch old crab that he always was, refused to pull the trigger and make Hogan the world champ and face of the company while Vince saw the potential goldmine and took Hogan and "Hulkamania" to the phenomenon it became.
Then once Hogan left the AWA was a dead company walking and Verne just didn't realize it.

 

[Rell84shots]

This man has been in the business 30 years and all he had to contribute was 2 years of good material

Those 2 years were something that no one has been able to replicate. Bischoff is the only man that can say he beat Vince even if it was only a temporary victory. Dixie Carter could've beat him temporarily as well if she had put better people around her, but she wasted the last time wrestling was still a hotbed.

His podcast also makes it clear that he knows very little about pro wrestling.

How so? The reason he gets so much hate is because he's basically been dead right about his AEW criticism, and he's also spoken about the problems the WWE is currently facing.

 

[Hey_zeus]

So he was a Bockwinkle fan. Makes sense with his treatment of Flair

 

[supertrekker]

I One time he said Vern Gagne created hulkamania, not Vince McMahon and Conrad Thompson started laughing in his face and calling him full of shyt.

Hulkamania was around before Hogan went to work for Vince. This is no secret even to the least casual wrestling fan. Hogan was just entering his stardom before he went back to New York. He was in Rocky 3 two years before he became the WWF champion so you can argue weather or not Verne created Hulkamania but you can't argue than Vince did.

 

[Wacky D]

Hulkamania started in the AWA.

 

[theflyest]

My issue with his podcast is he doesn’t seem to remember shyt.

 

[Jello Biafra]

My issue with his podcast is he doesn’t seem to remember shyt.

Hard to remember events that happened when you were doing mountains of cocaine on the daily.

 

[threattonature]

That isn't a complete fabrication.

Hogan went back to AWA still playing the heel role and was basically the Thunderlips character from Rocky 3 with Johnny Valiant as his manager (in place of Freddie Blassie who played that role in WWF) but AWA fans started cheering him so he made the face turn not long after coming back to AWA.

This was Hogan as a heel:


Then when he turned face Hogan was just a straight laced corny good guy:


Then Rocky 3 came out and Hogan's profile rose so he re-worked his gimmick and started the Hulkster and Hulkamania/Hulkamaniacs stuff and becoming the patriotic hero. The difference is very evident:


And this is not too long before he returned to WWF:



That is basically the character that Vince decided to run with when he took over WWF from his dad only he and Hogan added the more kid-friendly "say your prayers/take your vitamins" aspect to the gimmick.

So Verne Gagne did have a hand in the creation of "Hulkamania" but Verne being the out of touch old crab that he always was, refused to pull the trigger and make Hogan the world champ and face of the company while Vince saw the potential goldmine and took Hogan and "Hulkamania" to the phenomenon it became.
Then once Hogan left the AWA was a dead company walking and Verne just didn't realize it.

And he wasn’t no hindsight shyt at all either. I’m reading wrestling observers from back then and Meltzer and readers writing in were predicting that it could be the end of the AWA and the fuel needed for Vince to take over since Hogan was already such a big star.

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

The NWO were bigger and badder. The horsemen were old and smaller uncharismatic wrestlers. Arn and Flair's hey days were done by then and how else was he suppose to get the NWO over if they didn't beat WCW's top stable.

Horsemen didn't really fit the times. You needed more grit instead of "we're good wrestlers". Sting had a revamp, Hart toed the line, even Hogan turned heel. Horsemen were not providing that.

Yeah I understand the NWO needed to go over. Bischoff went out of his way to gratuitous humiliate the 4HM though. The roster itself wasn’t much cause Flair and AA were old and Mongo was

They could’ve given them a stronger roster (hint: Curt Hennig) or just booked them working with other faces.

Listening to his podcast though it is clear that he was an AWA guy and had no interest at all in the 4HM, JCP or its history and was probably annoyed by hearing about it backstage and in the office in WCW.

 

[stro]

Horsemen didn't really fit the times. You needed more grit instead of "we're good wrestlers". Sting had a revamp, Hart toed the line, even Hogan turned heel. Horsemen were not providing that.

This is nonsense. The Horsemen were still mega over deep into 1997 and 1998.