WWE Hall of Famer and former WCW President Eric Bischoff discussed various topics, including who should have received a farewell tour in WCW, on his podcast, 83 Weeks.
Bischoff said, “Yeah, I had an answer the minute you asked the question. Actually, it was an easy one for me. If — you know, we’re armchair booking here, fantasy booking. If Ric Flair would have been in the frame of mind and had decided it was his time — not somebody deciding for him, because that would never work. But if in this fantasy environment that we’re living in it for the moment, if Ric would have been To the point where he had something else he wanted to move on to do, and was engaged in the idea? Without a question, Ric Flair. And there’s not even a close second to be honest.”
On why Flair is the face of WCW and not Hulk Hogan:
“I’ll just focus on, ‘Why Ric vs. Hulk,’ for example, or Sting. Yeah, Hulk’s association with WCW as a brand was relatively short. In this context, short. Why would he have that farewell tour status? I at least associate that — and I think the fans do as well — I associate that with that kind of legendary, iconic, long-term relationship. And while WCW really started in technically ’88 or ’89 as a legal entity. That fan base that was ultimately the WCW fan base, which was the Turner Broadcasting footprint at that point in time, was still predominantly, without question, the southeast part of the United States. Which was Jim Crockett Promotions and Florida Championship Wrestling. Whatever territories where Ric Flair, had a major presence long before WCW became an acronym. So I think the legacy, the length of time — generations really, even by the late 90s, almost two generations — have been Ric Flair fans for a long, long time. Whether it was under the Jim Crockett Promotions, NWA, or whether it was WCW. It was the same fan base. So Ric — people associated Ric Flair, obviously with Jim Crockett Promotions and NWA. And then transferred that loyalty to WCW. So it was really a much longer period of time in terms of fan relationship with Ric Flair than anybody else in WCW. And Hulk Hogan was then and will always be more closely associated with WWE than WCW. Despite the revenue and the cup of coffee in the big scheme of things that WCW overtook WWE.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
