WWE Hall of Famer and former WCW President Eric Bischoff took to an episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, where he talked about a number of topics including how he disputes Larry Zbyszko’s claim that he is responsible for the beginning of the nWo storyline.
Bischoff said, “I have a strong affection for Larry,” Bischoff said. “I like Larry a lot. I have great memories working with Larry and hanging around with Larry and flying airplanes with Larry and I like Larry a lot. However, that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard. I mean, Larry and Greg Gagne are now competing for the world absurdity award. This is just insanely silly. To me, Larry was never involved in creative. Now, Larry would have an idea here and there. Most of the time it would involve Larry, by the way, because anytime Larry would corner me or ask for a meeting, and again, we were friends so it’s not like I stiff-armed him or anything like that. It was the opposite. But anytime Larry came to me with something, it always involved him getting back into the ring. That’s what Larry was focused on. Larry never came to a creative meeting. I don’t think he had been in the CNN Center more than three or four times throughout his entire tenure there and probably then it was to produce something in post production in the studio.”
“It’s just silly. I hope Larry was high as fu** when he did it, because that’s at least understandable, but he didn’t sound high to me and he just sounded like a lot of other people who take credit for other people’s work, and I think in Larry’s mind, you know, part of what Larry said was true. You know, Larry did refer to, not the New World Order as we came to know it, but Larry did make a comment in commentary at one point about the New World Order and it did stick in my head and it came out in my my preparation with Hulk Hogan right before Hulk went out to cut the promo. You know, the phrase, the New World Order of professional wrestling, just kind of rolled off my tongue and I went, ‘Wow, that’s pretty freakin cool.’ That part is absolutely true, by the way, but as far as programming anything, Larry didn’t know anything about what was going on. I kept all of it a secret. I didn’t tell anybody. I didn’t tell my wife. I didn’t tell anybody. I didn’t want the word to get out. I certainly wouldn’t have consulted with Larry and the idea that there was a big meeting in the back and I was asking for ideas. Come on now, Larry. There’s a lot of people that worked in that environment all at the same time that know that’s just silly. So, whatever.”
“You know, this is interesting because there are people that I really am close to that I’ve heard tell stories and I’m thinking, ‘Wait a minute. That never happened, or certainly didn’t happen the way you’re laying it out’, and these are people that are really good friends of mine. In some cases, some of my best friends that are still some of my best friends, and I hear them and I’m going, ugh. But I’m not going to call them out on it because I think to some degree, they’ve started to believe it. They’ve had enough interviews and they’ve talked to enough people and they’re asked enough questions that they start repeating variations of the truth and build upon, as Larry did here by the fact that, you know, he did come out and use the term New World Order, and a week later, whatever it was and I used it. That part is true, but to take that kernel of truth and then build a castle on it, I think people do that just because it makes them feel good about themselves and I don’t want to take that away from anybody, but I can’t sit here and listen to it and not call him on it.”
“Larry is in Larry Land. Larry Land is a real thing. Those of you that watch Larry Zbyszko in the AWA will know that Larry Land is a real thing for Larry’s Zbyszko. We just heard an example of it. But I love you, Larry. We’ll always laugh and joke and talk about the great times when we see each other and, you know, I may even hit your bong once in a while, but eh, come on now.”
You can check out Eric Bischoff’s complete podcast below.
