Synopses & Reviews
Eric Bishoff is one of the most controversial figures in the world of wrestling. Under his watch as president of WCW, the company went head to head with Vince McMahon and the WWE and beat them at their own game before ultimately imploding.
First hired as part of WCW in the role of on-air announcer, Bishoff was asked by then WCW owner, Ted Turner what he thought was need to beat the World Wrestling Federation - Turner liked his answer, and Bischoff was appointed president of the company . With Turner and his money behind him, Bishoff declared war. He hired top, recognized talent away from WWE; he produced a show that looked more dangerous, was more sexy, and with more of an edge that anything being done by the McMahon and his team. Going head to head with the WWE, but broadcasting live, Nitro became the number one wrestling show for 80 consecutive weeks.
However, the formula for the WCW's success, also became the blueprint for its failure. Top heavy with highly paid talent with control over their storylines, the WCW stumbled, and the WWE stepped in and took the lead in the ratings and never gave it up. When Time-Warner bought out Turner, they found that the WCW was losing millions a year, and all WCW programming was cancelled. Vince McMahon swept in and was able to buy the entire company for pennies on the dollar.
In this no-holds-barred look at his career and life, Eric Bishoff will discuss the things that he did right and all that he did wrong as he helped shape the sports entertainment industry into the billion dollar business it is today.
Synopsis
The exciting no-holds-barred autobiography of former WCW president and current WWE Raw General Manager, Eric Bishoff—the only person who was able to beat Vince McMahon and the WWE at their own game.
Eric Bischoff has been called pro wrestling's most hated man. Booed, reviled, and burned in effigy, he's been struck by everything from beer bottles to fists. Though industry critics have scorned his spectacular rise and fall at World Championship Wrestling, Bischoff's influence still resonates. For years, Bischoff kept quiet while industry "pundits" distorted the truth about the infamous Monday Night Wars, basing their accounts on rumors and innuendo. Finally, Bischoff tells what really happened.
Beginning with his days as a salesman for the American Wrestling Association, Bischoff exposes the industry's inner workings, from the real numbers behind WCW's red ink to the devastating impact of the corporate mergers. Among his revelations: How WCW became a national brand and revolutionized the industry. How Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, and Steve Austin shaped WCW, and how corporate politics killed it. And how he found his inner heel and learned to love being the guy everyone loves to despise.
Reflecting on his childhood, his family, and the pressures of notoriety, Bischoff tells how he found contentment after being unceremoniously "sent home." Love him or hate him, readers will never look at pro wrestling the same way again after reading Eric Bischoff's story in Controversy Creates Cash.
About the Author
Jeremy Roberts (cowriter) has written on a variety of subjects. His nonfiction work includes biographies of Mussolini and Joan of Arc for A&E Books.
Table of Contents
Contents
Prologue "Give Me a Big Hug"
1 Throwing Rocks
2 Ken Doll
3 WCW: The Early Days
4 Running the Show
5 Hulk Hogan
6 Prime Time
7 The Revolution Takes Hold
8 Too Much
9 Unraveling
10 Return to Hell
11 The Art of the Non-Deal
12 Meet the Devil
Epilogue Never Say Never