Bischoff's plan to get Vince off his game ironically describes exactly how Bischoff himself behaved through the remainder on 1998: being driven crazy and making emotional decisions instead of strategic ones.
Not entirely. 1998 was when Turner execs really started to meddle with WCW, including wanting Eric to make WCW more family friendly despite Eric’s formula fueling the company’s success. Not to say that Eric didn’t make some poor choices, but the downfall of the company is a lot more complicated and fascinating than some may realize.
What is ironic is that this is the same arena that Mick Foley won the WWF title against the Rock where he put the butts in the seat. Which was the beginning of the end of WcW.
Bischoff's segment to challenge Vince lasted only a couple minutes.. yet WrestlingBios manages to make a whole 20 minute video out of it. This guy is a true legend.
I had the chance to ask E about that at a meet and greet, how he felt about getting hired by McMahon after tying to destroy the Fed for almost a decade. He said he actually wasn’t that surprised. He said he knew that Vince knew, that Eric could create revenue and it would cause a stir.
When Slamboree '98 was shown on the old WWE Classics on Demand service, they actually dubbed in "No Chance in Hell" for Vince's entrance. Even if WCW could've somehow used it, Vince hadn't even started using it yet!
My favorite part of the Invasion vignettes was when they went to the WCW offices, and security comes out and asks them "Who's in charge here?" And Billy Gunn points at Triple H and says "Well, he's the General!"
I always wanted a wwe rivalries special with Bischoff and Vince. Like I would kill to see the two sit down and discuss the whole war and where their heads were at.
When this happened, I remember the IWC framing this as a desperate move by WCW. But.... you know.... after watching this, that wasn't fair. This was an interesting move by WCW. Maybe not the best possible move, but eh.... it created a nice memory.
@@Ted_Sheckler I'm always interested when I come across old messaging board threads from back then. Saying the same stuff people say today except with the stars of that era. "I'm sick of the NwO! Austin never loses! Waaah!"
@@MaddMan621 this was pretty accurate actually LOL and the IWC cried foul because Triple H wasn't pushed. That of course changed when he teamed up with Steph LOL
Yeah it would have been. This is what should have happened. Instead the whole “buy out of WCW” was made into a McMahon wrestling angle, which only helped ruin it. The angle should have been WWF VS WCW. WWF should have waited until they were able to bring in more of the big WCW stars, after their time Warner contracts ran out. Even if this meant waiting months to do so. WCW VS WWF on screen was something that fans had waited years to see.
I thought that Eric Bischoff calling out the Vin Man out was brilliant! I actually liked the idea. I knew Vince would not show up but if he did I believe WCW would have won because viewers of the Monday night wars would have expected the unexpected from WCW. It would have been probably better if they could have gotten someone to come in dressed and impersonating Vince McMahon and Eric could have beaten him lol 😂. That would most likely driven Vince McMahon crazy! 😂
Yeah, I’m not sure what Vince or WWF had to gain at all. At that point, it was still a little more competitive, but WWF had pulled ahead and, aside from a couple hope spots by WCW, they were staying there. Would Vince have gotten a piece of whatever Slamboree had drawn by just walking in the door without having signed any sort of contract to appear or anything? I can’t imagine he would have.
I believe both promotions missed an opportunity to do a cross-over promotion event and there could've been more than one event. I liked it when WWF/E and WCW were around, you got a chance to see many athletes move from one organization to the other and either flourish or not. Also, if Vince and Eric had meet up at a WCW event, they could've had it end in a double disqualification, due to run ins from both WCW and WWF/E wrestlers. Thanks for the video btw, great stuff!
Wow!! Turns out there was alot more to Bischoff's challenge, than I remember! I had no idea that Jerry McDevitt had sent a letter to Bischoff, that he read on air, mostly cause I wasn't really watching Thunder, at the time. I also didn't know about the dressing room prepared for Vince, with his name on it, lol! I only remember the challenge on Nitro, & that Vince didn't show up at Slamboree.
Nah, not after the lawsuit that Vince filed when Hall and Nash debuted acting like Razor and Diesel. Im sure that's an Area Eric would have looked at, but after the previous WWF libel suit if someone came out and kicked his ass, it would have been seen as another "WWF Invasion" angle like when Hall and Nash appeared.
This is awesome because I actually attended Slamboree ‘98 in Worcester, I was 11 and this was my first live event, will never forget it, was amazing purely because of all the names that were in that building that night, good times!
What is ironic is that this is the same arena that Mick Foley won the WWF title against the Rock where he put the butts in the seat. Which was the beginning of the end of WcW.
I really wished we got a Vince McMahon Vs Eric Bischoff match at a Wrestlemania with Austin as the special guest referee and it should have been under no holds barred rules, such a shame it was used as a throwaway on a Raw during the Brock Lesnar Vs Goldberg build up to Wrestlemania 20. It wouldn't have been a wrestling classic but to see two of the most important figures of the Monday Night Wars doing battle would have been epic. Great insight into WWF ending the 84 ratings streak of WCW. If Vince actually showed up on Nitro to fight Bischoff, it would have been huge
The two companies should've worked together and shared talent instead of trading talent. It should've been a trilogy. One on WCW programming, one on WWF programming and one promoted by King.
The issue is that the Vince and Austin rivalry was really heating up and Vince kicking bishoffs ass on wcw ppv would have made him a huge Babyface among hardcore WWF fans.
Unfortunately booking it would be impossible. Neither company would be willing to put the other company over or job to the other company. Fans wouldn’t be happy either if it ended up as some kind of draw between both companies.
Granted it was comics but when Marvel and DC did a crossover, their compromise was one company has their top character 'win' the main battle and the other company dominates all the other important battles. So both companies & fans can claim they 'won.' One by sheer number of victories and the other by winning the most important fight. So you could argue the top 5 fights, in this fantasy wrestling crossover, one company could win all 4 in the lead up to the main event and the other company wins the main event. That said, from what I remember, neither the Marvel or DC fans were happy with who won what. DC fans weren't happy with 'losing' the other important fights, nor were Marvel fans happy with 'losing' the main fight.
@@Alltheabovec_p I really like the idea of a Horsemen/Nation match with their respective leaders both having been WCW champions. Assuming this theoretical crossover happens before that no good Rocky Maivia kicked Faarooq out of the faction.
This was one of the years that I decided to start watching new pro wrestling when this match happened it wasn't the best but story line leading up to it was good
This was around the time I started watching wrestling and was confused. I remember thinking, "Isn't Vince McMahon a guy on the other show?" I figured I must have been mistaken. I didn't realize he was challenging the head of the WWF.
"Raw got a 4.1 Rating that night while Nitro got a 4.2" I think you got your numbers mixed up mate. Raw got 4.6 that night while Nitro got 4.2. Got that from two sources I also heard Bischoff say that Hogan told him "You might not want to do this" Bischoff replied "If he shows up and kicks my ass, I'm printing money. What do I care?" The important part was that it would be done in a WCW ring and not a WWE Ring
I heard the same thing. Hogan, Macho Man, Perfect, even Bobby Heenan. All of the ones who worked with Vince for years warned Bischoff that he might actually show up.
Yeah, I was just about to comment the same thing. That blunder is especially strange because he still says in the video that it was the end of Nitro's winning streak, even though 4.2 is better than 4.1. If those numbers were correct, it would mean Nitro won.
@@PrimeEvilDean Bischoff would have ruined McMahon in a real fight. Eric is a black belt in karate who competed in MMA style kick-boxing before his wrestling career. Vince had some training as a pro wrestler but that teaches you how NOT to hurt your opponent rather than how to actually fight. A well placed sidekick from Eric and it would have been all over.
My friends and me were excited and kind of mind-blown. Still being fairly new to wrestling back in '98, we actually believed this was 100% happening. How naive we were... 😅
Yeah me too haha. But that proves it is all about the money for Vince and he knew having Eric around would bring ratings just because of their past. Plus it gave Vince a chance to bury him like he did to most WCW guys.
You weren't the only one. My jaw dropped seeing them together. Loved Eric in the general manager role, though. The Raw roulette and Elimination Chamber we're cool concepts and Val Venis was great for about 6 months as Chief Morley.
I wasn't. It's just the sort of thing that he would do - make a former competitor an employee. Becoming Bischoff's boss must have been immensely satisfying to him.
I remember getting Slamboree '98 and being hyped for McMahon vs Bischoff. Being 14 at the time, the DX invasion in WWF, and the Bischoff-McMahon challenge in WCW had me hook, line, and sinker. Awesome video, it really brought me back in time!
This was probably the one time Eric Bischoff actually tried to really do something to sell a PPV outside of the nWo as he preferred throwing them together last minute while focusing on trying to get high ratings on Nitro.
I wonder if this could have worked out at a neutral venue (like an ECW PPV) and have no clear cut winner due to interference. Maybe ECW and former ECW wrestlers could take sides and just end in a total brawl. Then Vince and Eric could both have bragging rights highlighting the part of the match where they kicked each other's butt. Oh, to dream and wonder what if.
Ultimately I feel Vince was smart enough to know that this would be seen as a giant wet fart for WCW and the fans would go home disappointed - helping WWF.
Imagine if at the height of the monday night wars wwf and wcw had a ppv featuring the two companies against each other, done properly, not like the invasion angle
I just rewatched it a few weeks ago. Thought all of it was whack. It also smacked off desperation, especially after looking up the ratings and seeing that nitro was starting to lose. It was great to learn more behind the scenes details, but it wasn't a good look for Bischoff.
@@martynodonnell8467 thought so, thanks for confirming. I have to admit I'm a massive mark and still love wrestling but I can understand why dude might not like the modern product.
@@jimbo_1312 I’m in the same frame of thought. There is something about the modern product I don’t enjoy as much as say the product from and before around 2005/06 and the many years preceding this. Something has to be said when one of the main selling points of this years Wrestlemania was a star from the “attitude era” although he was a massive star at the time. Does this show that the current product needs to rely on stars of yesterday to sell the modern product?
Its a nice reminder and warning to other promotions that wwe is still holding the keys for wrestling as entertainment in the long run... but man if only we can see the day when another promo can finally take its place...
I think stuff like this bit WCW on the butt when "like you'd actually see him there" name-drops materialized on pay-per-view later on, like James Brown showing up at _SuperBrawl_ 2000 in service of Ernest "The Cat" Miller showing up The Maestro.
I may be in the minority with this opinion, but, I think Eric would have beat Vince up. I think Vince was a jacked guy that had no mobility skills. Eric could block Vince's punches. IMO.
You got to respect Eric Bischoff cuz he knew Vince wouldn't show up and there was no way that would happen and he told the people straight up that it wasn't going to happen don't buy the Pay-Per-View when he could have just alluded to it might happen and get more money from people
This, and the fact the Vince was so f...... over. The famous first raw win in 98 it was Austin and McMahon. The challenge was simply a TV segment. And i didn't remember the Mcdevitt's letter, really stupid by Titan. And in that spring of 98 was simply perfect. Like the video said the nitro's ratings were awesome. Like Raw's
It should also be highlighted that Eric Bischoff try to work for the WWF one day back in the '80s. There is a video tape of his audition with him interviewing a broom and you can hear Vince in the background giving him instructions
Dude, imagine if the Slamboree PPV wound up being the start of a WWF vs. WCW PPV trilogy (with the first one taking place on Slamboree, the second one would have ended up on either SummerSlam or Judgement Day, and a third/final WWF vs. WCW PPV would be either WrestleMania or a brand new one-off pay per view event).
I know this sentence has been uttered twenty thousand times.. but it’s so ironic Bishoff inadvertently created the attitude era by making WCW so successful, giving Vince no choice but to go bigger, louder, and flashier.
I request if you can going back to the 80s there was one of my favorite feuds and I would love to hear you narrate it . The Nick Bockwinkel vs Jerry Lawler feud when Bockwinkel went to Memphis. Very underrated and I think it should get the recognition it deserves.
Looking back this gives me a whole new appreciation on why you never talk about your competition. It only seems to get people interested in the other product
Bischoff challenging Vince to a fight the second he lost the ratings war reads like that ""im not owned! im not owned!!", i continue to insist as i slowly shrink and transform into a corn cob" tweet played out irl.
I remember that Eric looked like a total chump because of this. The nWo had already long out-waited their welcome by this point, and this was played out as a promise for a big money match that we knew wouldn't happen in a million years. I was more disappointed than let-down, and I sure as hell wasn't going to buy a ppv with a fake match on the card. I don't know what the buy-rate was, but Eric could have had my money if he put his energy into building new and viable stars.
Bischoff knew he'd messed up not allowing DX into their arena and onto his show. I think it was desperate and a huge mistake on Bischoff's part to then challenge V-Mac
If you view the pay per view (Slamboree) on modern streaming, they added “No Chance in Hell” when Bischoff was waiting in the ring for him. Despite the fact that the theme hadn’t even been made yet for another 6-8 months.
I was there and it was pretty cool. I was like 12 tho so I don't really remember caring to much at the time. I was all about the DDP Raven match and the Hart Savage match back then. I didnt realize how cool the show actually was until much later.
I remember watching Bischoff's challenge live with my family. The show made such a big deal about it. None of us gave a damn. Dumb angle that we all knew would lead nowhere.
It was smart on Vince McMahon's part not to go what would he gain from it other than satisfaction if he beat easy E. Not going was more beneficial and potentially handed WCW to them
Looking at it now, Vince made the right move as it didn't give publicity to a rival who, a few years later he would buy however, maybe if he had gone and wiped the floor with Eric, the war would have ended a lot sooner. Who wouldn't want to see a billionair badass that's kicked the ass of the biggest rival week after week on TV. WCW could have crashed and burnt that very year. Had that been the case maybe WCW aren't brought by WWF/E but just die out of existence. Great video, love the content of this channel, brings back childhood memories so thank you.
There was no chance McMahon was going to "wipe the floor" with Bischoff. Vince had zero training as a real fighter, only pro wrestling training which teaches how to protect your opponent rather than actually hurt them. Eric on the other hand is a black belt in karate who competed in kick-boxing competitions before his wrestling career.
Wrestling needs another bischoff i genuinely love this man. I’m literally at work watching this video if I get caught I get in trouble but easy e is worth it. Controversy creates cash
I cannot see Vince showing up at WCW's PPV. I remember watching this live, thinking how stupid this angle was because you know Vince wouldn't show up. In retrospect, I think it would have been funnier to fake Vince's appearance, only to have a little person come out.
1998 could have been the moment where we could have gotten a WCW vs. WWF crossover with Eric vs. Vince as part of a double main event. And, we definitely could have gotten Sting vs. The Undertaker too.
I recorded this live while watching raw (raw was so much better at this point). I remember watching this and rolling my eyes. Wwf/e was so much more creative and innovative at this point. It did look desperate and probably did belong on blunders. Good video though.
Bischoff's plan to get Vince off his game ironically describes exactly how Bischoff himself behaved through the remainder on 1998: being driven crazy and making emotional decisions instead of strategic ones.
I always said once WWF started winning again wcw completely lost their composure
His obsession was typical
🔥NAILED IT🔥
Not entirely. 1998 was when Turner execs really started to meddle with WCW, including wanting Eric to make WCW more family friendly despite Eric’s formula fueling the company’s success. Not to say that Eric didn’t make some poor choices, but the downfall of the company is a lot more complicated and fascinating than some may realize.
What is ironic is that this is the same arena that Mick Foley won the WWF title against the Rock where he put the butts in the seat. Which was the beginning of the end of WcW.
Bischoff's segment to challenge Vince lasted only a couple minutes.. yet WrestlingBios manages to make a whole 20 minute video out of it. This guy is a true legend.
@Mr. Hyde nah, misspelling wrestling is...
It's cause he has the Jams!
He has the jam no disputing that.
That’s cause Wrestling Bios has the jam
You gotta do Eric Bischoff's WWE debut. Literally no one expected that to ever happen on live tv
That night was awesome!!!
Tell me I didn't just see that! 👀👀👀
Yeah hell froze over that night he showed up to greet Booker T first then hug Vince McMahon
Showing Bischoff early that night killed the mystique. Should've saved him at the very end of Raw.
I had the chance to ask E about that at a meet and greet, how he felt about getting hired by McMahon after tying to destroy the Fed for almost a decade. He said he actually wasn’t that surprised. He said he knew that Vince knew, that Eric could create revenue and it would cause a stir.
All this did was give Raw even higher ratings because fans wanted to see Vince's response
In hindsight, it did..
Exactly… another thank you to Easy E 😆
The thumbnail made me laugh more than I should. Eric Bischoff looking like a vicious street fighter.
When Slamboree '98 was shown on the old WWE Classics on Demand service, they actually dubbed in "No Chance in Hell" for Vince's entrance. Even if WCW could've somehow used it, Vince hadn't even started using it yet!
Probably the only time WWE revisionism made something even better
That’s an amazing catch, nice work
My favorite part of the Invasion vignettes was when they went to the WCW offices, and security comes out and asks them "Who's in charge here?" And Billy Gunn points at Triple H and says "Well, he's the General!"
I always wanted a wwe rivalries special with Bischoff and Vince. Like I would kill to see the two sit down and discuss the whole war and where their heads were at.
LOL at the guy with the “CVS fears Walgreens” sign
When this happened, I remember the IWC framing this as a desperate move by WCW. But.... you know.... after watching this, that wasn't fair. This was an interesting move by WCW. Maybe not the best possible move, but eh.... it created a nice memory.
I wasn’t part of any “IWC” at the time but 13 year old me thought it seemed desperate.
The IWC? You mean, fans that happened to have a computer at the time? And they used the computer to express that opinion?
@@Ted_Sheckler I'm always interested when I come across old messaging board threads from back then. Saying the same stuff people say today except with the stars of that era. "I'm sick of the NwO! Austin never loses! Waaah!"
I mean WWF made WCW look like weaklings by shutting their doors . And Eric bischoff didn't look great challenging vince
@@MaddMan621 this was pretty accurate actually LOL and the IWC cried foul because Triple H wasn't pushed. That of course changed when he teamed up with Steph LOL
More Bischoff content please! He’s one of the most interesting and important personalities in the history of the business.
And the history of our sport
Vince should have been the one to show up on the last episode of Nirto. THAT would’ve been memorable!
Yeah it would have been. This is what should have happened. Instead the whole “buy out of WCW” was made into a McMahon wrestling angle, which only helped ruin it. The angle should have been WWF VS WCW. WWF should have waited until they were able to bring in more of the big WCW stars, after their time Warner contracts ran out. Even if this meant waiting months to do so. WCW VS WWF on screen was something that fans had waited years to see.
I thought that Eric Bischoff calling out the Vin Man out was brilliant! I actually liked the idea. I knew Vince would not show up but if he did I believe WCW would have won because viewers of the Monday night wars would have expected the unexpected from WCW. It would have been probably better if they could have gotten someone to come in dressed and impersonating Vince McMahon and Eric could have beaten him lol 😂. That would most likely driven Vince McMahon crazy! 😂
If Vince showed up, Bischoff goes over no matter what as does WCW. Would’ve been great, but smart move not to.
Yeah, I’m not sure what Vince or WWF had to gain at all. At that point, it was still a little more competitive, but WWF had pulled ahead and, aside from a couple hope spots by WCW, they were staying there. Would Vince have gotten a piece of whatever Slamboree had drawn by just walking in the door without having signed any sort of contract to appear or anything? I can’t imagine he would have.
I believe both promotions missed an opportunity to do a cross-over promotion event and there could've been more than one event. I liked it when WWF/E and WCW were around, you got a chance to see many athletes move from one organization to the other and either flourish or not. Also, if Vince and Eric had meet up at a WCW event, they could've had it end in a double disqualification, due to run ins from both WCW and WWF/E wrestlers. Thanks for the video btw, great stuff!
Wow!! Turns out there was alot more to Bischoff's challenge, than I remember! I had no idea that Jerry McDevitt had sent a letter to Bischoff, that he read on air, mostly cause I wasn't really watching Thunder, at the time. I also didn't know about the dressing room prepared for Vince, with his name on it, lol! I only remember the challenge on Nitro, & that Vince didn't show up at Slamboree.
Should have given someone the rub by having them interrupt the count out and kick his ass. WCW wasting a great opportunity.
Nah, not after the lawsuit that Vince filed when Hall and Nash debuted acting like Razor and Diesel. Im sure that's an Area Eric would have looked at, but after the previous WWF libel suit if someone came out and kicked his ass, it would have been seen as another "WWF Invasion" angle like when Hall and Nash appeared.
This is awesome because I actually attended Slamboree ‘98 in Worcester, I was 11 and this was my first live event, will never forget it, was amazing purely because of all the names that were in that building that night, good times!
DCU
What is ironic is that this is the same arena that Mick Foley won the WWF title against the Rock where he put the butts in the seat. Which was the beginning of the end of WcW.
I really wished we got a Vince McMahon Vs Eric Bischoff match at a Wrestlemania with Austin as the special guest referee and it should have been under no holds barred rules, such a shame it was used as a throwaway on a Raw during the Brock Lesnar Vs Goldberg build up to Wrestlemania 20. It wouldn't have been a wrestling classic but to see two of the most important figures of the Monday Night Wars doing battle would have been epic. Great insight into WWF ending the 84 ratings streak of WCW. If Vince actually showed up on Nitro to fight Bischoff, it would have been huge
If i remember correctly the match between Eric and Vince was the first plan for WM 19. Then they re-signed Hogan and the rest is history
Bischoff would’ve dominated for 83 seconds, and then Vince would’ve gone over in the end.
@@PJErvin Bischoff is a black belt and would have whooped Vince’s ass
The two companies should've worked together and shared talent instead of trading talent.
It should've been a trilogy. One on WCW programming, one on WWF programming and one promoted by King.
I wish I can like this comment a thousand times lol.
The issue is that the Vince and Austin rivalry was really heating up and Vince kicking bishoffs ass on wcw ppv would have made him a huge Babyface among hardcore WWF fans.
1998 is when the invasion angle should have happen it would have shattered records. The amount of dream matches that could of happened were endless
Unfortunately booking it would be impossible. Neither company would be willing to put the other company over or job to the other company. Fans wouldn’t be happy either if it ended up as some kind of draw between both companies.
Granted it was comics but when Marvel and DC did a crossover, their compromise was one company has their top character 'win' the main battle and the other company dominates all the other important battles. So both companies & fans can claim they 'won.' One by sheer number of victories and the other by winning the most important fight.
So you could argue the top 5 fights, in this fantasy wrestling crossover, one company could win all 4 in the lead up to the main event and the other company wins the main event.
That said, from what I remember, neither the Marvel or DC fans were happy with who won what. DC fans weren't happy with 'losing' the other important fights, nor were Marvel fans happy with 'losing' the main fight.
Stone cold vs DDP
Rock vs Hogan back then
Undertaker vs Sting
Hbk vs Alex Wright 😂
The Nation vs the 4 horseman
Peak Steve Austin vs Bill Goldberg
Sting vs undertaker
DDP vs rock
Kane vs big show
Dx vs outsiders
@@Alltheabovec_p I really like the idea of a Horsemen/Nation match with their respective leaders both having been WCW champions. Assuming this theoretical crossover happens before that no good Rocky Maivia kicked Faarooq out of the faction.
This was one of the years that I decided to start watching new pro wrestling when this match happened it wasn't the best but story line leading up to it was good
I can't get enough of learning about WCW through Wrestling Bios.
I wanted Vince to show up... Talk about something to talk about. That would've been still talked about to this day, if that happened, LOL
I remember this time. Such a great time in wrestling. I hope to have this kind of competition again
This was around the time I started watching wrestling and was confused. I remember thinking, "Isn't Vince McMahon a guy on the other show?" I figured I must have been mistaken. I didn't realize he was challenging the head of the WWF.
Lol, yeah, that must have been pretty weird for a first time viewer, like you.
"Raw got a 4.1 Rating that night while Nitro got a 4.2" I think you got your numbers mixed up mate. Raw got 4.6 that night while Nitro got 4.2. Got that from two sources
I also heard Bischoff say that Hogan told him "You might not want to do this" Bischoff replied "If he shows up and kicks my ass, I'm printing money. What do I care?" The important part was that it would be done in a WCW ring and not a WWE Ring
I heard the same thing. Hogan, Macho Man, Perfect, even Bobby Heenan. All of the ones who worked with Vince for years warned Bischoff that he might actually show up.
Yeah, I was just about to comment the same thing. That blunder is especially strange because he still says in the video that it was the end of Nitro's winning streak, even though 4.2 is better than 4.1. If those numbers were correct, it would mean Nitro won.
@@PrimeEvilDean Bischoff would have ruined McMahon in a real fight. Eric is a black belt in karate who competed in MMA style kick-boxing before his wrestling career. Vince had some training as a pro wrestler but that teaches you how NOT to hurt your opponent rather than how to actually fight. A well placed sidekick from Eric and it would have been all over.
This and Eric letting DX in the building during their invasion are two big what ifs for me during the Monday Night Wars
love your work and the effort you put in every single video! always entertaining and a nice look back to the good ol days! thank you
McMahon didn’t show up because he KNOWS he couldn’t beat Easy-E so he didn’t even try. He had a 141 2/3 % chance of losing that match.
I remember watching this match on WWE 24/7 and when they introduced Vince they played no change in hell
My friends and me were excited and kind of mind-blown. Still being fairly new to wrestling back in '98, we actually believed this was 100% happening. How naive we were... 😅
I really being really shocked when Vince hired Eric to be the general manager of RAW.
Yeah me too haha. But that proves it is all about the money for Vince and he knew having Eric around would bring ratings just because of their past. Plus it gave Vince a chance to bury him like he did to most WCW guys.
You weren't the only one. My jaw dropped seeing them together. Loved Eric in the general manager role, though. The Raw roulette and Elimination Chamber we're cool concepts and Val Venis was great for about 6 months as Chief Morley.
I wasn't. It's just the sort of thing that he would do - make a former competitor an employee. Becoming Bischoff's boss must have been immensely satisfying to him.
@@tmage23 And when he made fun of his hair.
same here. But then I died a little inside when they hugged.
Now in 2024 it's Bischoff vs. Tony Khan😬
I remember getting Slamboree '98 and being hyped for McMahon vs Bischoff. Being 14 at the time, the DX invasion in WWF, and the Bischoff-McMahon challenge in WCW had me hook, line, and sinker. Awesome video, it really brought me back in time!
This was probably the one time Eric Bischoff actually tried to really do something to sell a PPV outside of the nWo as he preferred throwing them together last minute while focusing on trying to get high ratings on Nitro.
I must have watched all your videos 10 times each..... awesome channel!!!
If Stephanie's graduation wasn't on the same day I feel Vince would have showed up to fight Eric.
Actually Stephanie's graduation was only 40 miles away in Massachusetts.
I wonder if this could have worked out at a neutral venue (like an ECW PPV) and have no clear cut winner due to interference. Maybe ECW and former ECW wrestlers could take sides and just end in a total brawl. Then Vince and Eric could both have bragging rights highlighting the part of the match where they kicked each other's butt. Oh, to dream and wonder what if.
Ultimately I feel Vince was smart enough to know that this would be seen as a giant wet fart for WCW and the fans would go home disappointed - helping WWF.
Imagine if at the height of the monday night wars wwf and wcw had a ppv featuring the two companies against each other, done properly, not like the invasion angle
I eventually thought something like this would happen like shots were fired the endless dream matches I was a fan of both promotions
Would never happen
No one would want to lose
@@madddoggnogood1491 in a parallel universe maybe it happened
They should have done it but get a third party be the promoter so booking who won and lost was out of their hands. NJPW would have been a good choice.
I just rewatched it a few weeks ago. Thought all of it was whack. It also smacked off desperation, especially after looking up the ratings and seeing that nitro was starting to lose. It was great to learn more behind the scenes details, but it wasn't a good look for Bischoff.
Man I really want to know your thoughts about this year's wrestlemania can you make a short video about it
I might be totally wrong and imagined it, but I'm pretty sure he has said he doesn't watch modern wrestling although don't quote me on that
@@jimbo_1312 I think he did, in the question and answer video he put up. I think he said something about not getting the same joy out of it.
@@martynodonnell8467 thought so, thanks for confirming. I have to admit I'm a massive mark and still love wrestling but I can understand why dude might not like the modern product.
I thought it was pretty good overall
@@jimbo_1312 I’m in the same frame of thought. There is something about the modern product I don’t enjoy as much as say the product from and before around 2005/06 and the many years preceding this.
Something has to be said when one of the main selling points of this years Wrestlemania was a star from the “attitude era” although he was a massive star at the time. Does this show that the current product needs to rely on stars of yesterday to sell the modern product?
Great video bro. I love it when you say things like "Battle Rattlesnake". LoL 😂😂😂 funny as hell. Sorry I'm very far behind on reliving the war.
Its a nice reminder and warning to other promotions that wwe is still holding the keys for wrestling as entertainment in the long run... but man if only we can see the day when another promo can finally take its place...
I think stuff like this bit WCW on the butt when "like you'd actually see him there" name-drops materialized on pay-per-view later on, like James Brown showing up at _SuperBrawl_ 2000 in service of Ernest "The Cat" Miller showing up The Maestro.
Bischoff actually did a good job on the mic there.
It's like Nash said "Vince just might show up!" LOL
I may be in the minority with this opinion, but, I think Eric would have beat Vince up. I think Vince was a jacked guy that had no mobility skills. Eric could block Vince's punches. IMO.
I feel this way. Vince couldn't have shown up at Slamboree b/c the Universe would have imploded if he did.
You got to respect Eric Bischoff cuz he knew Vince wouldn't show up and there was no way that would happen and he told the people straight up that it wasn't going to happen don't buy the Pay-Per-View when he could have just alluded to it might happen and get more money from people
This, and the fact the Vince was so f...... over. The famous first raw win in 98 it was Austin and McMahon. The challenge was simply a TV segment. And i didn't remember the Mcdevitt's letter, really stupid by Titan. And in that spring of 98 was simply perfect. Like the video said the nitro's ratings were awesome. Like Raw's
It should also be highlighted that Eric Bischoff try to work for the WWF one day back in the '80s. There is a video tape of his audition with him interviewing a broom and you can hear Vince in the background giving him instructions
Dude, imagine if the Slamboree PPV wound up being the start of a WWF vs. WCW PPV trilogy (with the first one taking place on Slamboree, the second one would have ended up on either SummerSlam or Judgement Day, and a third/final WWF vs. WCW PPV would be either WrestleMania or a brand new one-off pay per view event).
Imagine if Vince show up, that would be biggest moment in pro wrestling history
New to the channel, have watched lots of vids. And jus wanna say your videos are so dope, and appreciate the work you do man.
I know this sentence has been uttered twenty thousand times.. but it’s so ironic Bishoff inadvertently created the attitude era by making WCW so successful, giving Vince no choice but to go bigger, louder, and flashier.
Feel better man! Loved the video.
You mean Raw got a 4.2 and Nitro got a 4.1 to end the streak. You said it in reverse.
I just realized how much Eric Bischoff looked like Ken Burns’ cooler brother
I request if you can going back to the 80s there was one of my favorite feuds and I would love to hear you narrate it . The Nick Bockwinkel vs Jerry Lawler feud when Bockwinkel went to Memphis. Very underrated and I think it should get the recognition it deserves.
Being a dumb kid in 1998 I really thought Vince was gonna show up lol
Welcome to reliving the chinlocks 🤣🤣🤣
3:51 - “Raw got a 4.1 rating that night while Nitro got a 4.2…still great numbers for WCW but the winning streak had ended”
🤔 4.2 is better than 4.1
So Eric basically ripped off the Jericho v Goldberg's "No Show" wins that Eric help squash.. lolol
Jericho’s thing was later in the year.
Looking back this gives me a whole new appreciation on why you never talk about your competition. It only seems to get people interested in the other product
Bischoff challenging Vince to a fight the second he lost the ratings war reads like that ""im not owned! im not owned!!", i continue to insist as i slowly shrink and transform into a corn cob" tweet played out irl.
I remember that Eric looked like a total chump because of this. The nWo had already long out-waited their welcome by this point, and this was played out as a promise for a big money match that we knew wouldn't happen in a million years. I was more disappointed than let-down, and I sure as hell wasn't going to buy a ppv with a fake match on the card.
I don't know what the buy-rate was, but Eric could have had my money if he put his energy into building new and viable stars.
Bischoff knew he'd messed up not allowing DX into their arena and onto his show. I think it was desperate and a huge mistake on Bischoff's part to then challenge V-Mac
If you view the pay per view (Slamboree) on modern streaming, they added “No Chance in Hell” when Bischoff was waiting in the ring for him. Despite the fact that the theme hadn’t even been made yet for another 6-8 months.
I hadn’t really thought about but it would have been interesting to see these two face each other in the ring
I was there and it was pretty cool. I was like 12 tho so I don't really remember caring to much at the time. I was all about the DDP Raven match and the Hart Savage match back then. I didnt realize how cool the show actually was until much later.
Vince "the reason for the ratings" McMahon
Jesus ... that one joke is probably more hilarious than the entire DX invasion skit.
I remember watching this unfold as a kid and thinking it was insane. Stuff like this is what the Invasion should have been.
I remember seeing this live. Good times
Elbow Pads|Knee Pads|Taped Wrists|MMA Style Gloves Past Present Future
I remember watching Bischoff's challenge live with my family. The show made such a big deal about it. None of us gave a damn. Dumb angle that we all knew would lead nowhere.
A dumb angle that went nowhere? From WCW? Imagine that 😆
We need a chinlocks t-shirt.
Fight of the century
Vinnie Mac v Easy E
I knew wasnt gonna happen but both WCW & WWF had nothing to lose. WCW streak ended but they were still good while WWF was on thier Renaissance.
It was smart on Vince McMahon's part not to go what would he gain from it other than satisfaction if he beat easy E. Not going was more beneficial and potentially handed WCW to them
Looking at it now, Vince made the right move as it didn't give publicity to a rival who, a few years later he would buy however, maybe if he had gone and wiped the floor with Eric, the war would have ended a lot sooner. Who wouldn't want to see a billionair badass that's kicked the ass of the biggest rival week after week on TV. WCW could have crashed and burnt that very year. Had that been the case maybe WCW aren't brought by WWF/E but just die out of existence.
Great video, love the content of this channel, brings back childhood memories so thank you.
There was no chance McMahon was going to "wipe the floor" with Bischoff. Vince had zero training as a real fighter, only pro wrestling training which teaches how to protect your opponent rather than actually hurt them. Eric on the other hand is a black belt in karate who competed in kick-boxing competitions before his wrestling career.
The best wrestling channel of them all keep going wrestling bios your the best
I always wished that Vince had shown up - and got his ass kicked.
I think people grossly overlook Bischoff's fighting background.
I remember when WCW did this I thought Vince would respond in Vince type of fashion
Wrestling needs another bischoff i genuinely love this man. I’m literally at work watching this video if I get caught I get in trouble but easy e is worth it. Controversy creates cash
If there's one thing that brings in the ratings for a wrestling show, it's reading a longwinded letter from a lawyer.
The blunder Bischoff made was not saving the letter for Slamboree, and using it to act like Vince was to chicken to come.
5:09-5:37 is called projecting your own insecurities onto someone else. OK, Eric.
I cannot see Vince showing up at WCW's PPV. I remember watching this live, thinking how stupid this angle was because you know Vince wouldn't show up. In retrospect, I think it would have been funnier to fake Vince's appearance, only to have a little person come out.
1998 could have been the moment where we could have gotten a WCW vs. WWF crossover with Eric vs. Vince as part of a double main event. And, we definitely could have gotten Sting vs. The Undertaker too.
In the end, Vince won and Eric ended up being Vince's employee
There's a interview with russo who said vince was up to go to this event and fight but stephine was graduating college that day.
This guy is an absolute legend
McMahon! SEE YOU AT THE ALAMO
Another awesome upload from the greatest wrestling channel on the planet!
Oh, this would’ve been a shoot fight with Vince trying gauge Eric’s eyes out.
great videos always look forward to watching keep up great work
The Raw and Nitro after would have been huge
Love that WWE Eric Bischoff's Theme.. 🎶🎶I'm Back!!! I'm better than ever🎶🎶
I recorded this live while watching raw (raw was so much better at this point). I remember watching this and rolling my eyes. Wwf/e was so much more creative and innovative at this point. It did look desperate and probably did belong on blunders. Good video though.