WWE Hall of Famer and former WCW President Eric Bischoff discussed various topics on an episode of his podcast, 83 Weeks. One of the highlights was ECW legend Sabu’s story about how WCW offered him the opportunity to work one television match and one pay-per-view match each month for $500.
Bischoff said, “It didn’t happen, with all due respect to Sabu. I hate to answer a question like this under these circumstances, but there’s no malice or anything on my part. I’m just going to lay it out. And it should be pretty easy to figure out why it didn’t happen without me even saying it if someone thought about this for more than 10 seconds. One, I’ve never made a deal with anybody, or would even contemplate doing a deal with anybody for any amount of money for one TV appearance a month and one pay-per-view? You’ve never heard of it because it’s the most insane thing in the world, nobody would consider it. And I certainly didn’t. So the very premise of that explanation crumbles under about 10 seconds worth of thought. Critical thought, I mean you got to have critical thought. But it’s flawed on its very face number one. As far as needing a contract, it’s not so much — I wouldn’t care. If somebody wants to work for $1 a day, I’ll pay them $1 a day. If that’s their goal and I got a extra buck in my pocket and they want to work for me for a buck a day? I’m in, no problem. It wasn’t about the money, it was about the contract. It was about legalities. It was about a national television release. It was about our ability to use that television and monetize that television, which includes having the rights for everybody in it. So it wasn’t so much about the money in terms of Kevin saying, ‘No, you need to sign a deal.’ That was part of getting the money. But the money wasn’t the issue, the contract was for a variety of legal reasons and promotional ones. So the whole — I hate to say it, I don’t know how Sabu interpreted things. I don’t know what was said on a phone call. I don’t know any of that, I just knew that on the face of that, it absolutely makes zero sense. No matter how many people out there hate my guts and think everything I say is bulls**t? Have at it. If you think about that for 10 seconds, even you would have to realize that there’s something wrong with that statement.”
On Sabu deserving to be in the every Hall of Fame there is:
“Yes, because of the impact that he made. Above and beyond the impact of many great superstars, absolutely. He created a brand. He created a style, to some degree. Not the people didn’t do it before him, but he made it his own. And he built that brand, and built his brand in a way that no one else really has. So yeah, absolutely. It was a contribution to the industry, and that’s what should matter. I think.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
