30 Years Later, Eric Bischoff Admits He Made a Huge Mistake Passing on Shawn Michaels
Let’s be honest. The 1990s wrestling war had more “what ifs” than a fantasy football draft. But few loom larger than this one: What if Shawn Michaels had jumped to WCW at his absolute peak?
According to Eric Bischoff, the man who ran WCW into the ground trying to beat Vince McMahon, the answer is simple. He wouldn’t have touched Shawn Michaels with a ten-foot pole. At least, not back then.
On the latest episode of his “83 Weeks” podcast, Bischoff got brutally honest about why he passed on one of the most gifted performers of all time. His reason? Fear.
“I wouldn’t have ever taken a risk on Shawn Michaels back then,” Bischoff admitted. “I mean, I had enough to deal with already. His reputation preceded him.”
Translation: Bischoff was terrified. He already had a locker room full of egos, from Hogan to Nash to Hall. Adding a young, unpredictable, party-hard Shawn Michaels? He felt that would have been a disaster waiting to happen. He flat-out says he had zero interest in even having a conversation.
But here is where the story takes a sharp turn.
Bischoff reveals that one infamous night in Montreal changed his entire perspective. You know the one. The night Bret Hart got screwed, and Shawn Michaels walked out of the arena with the WWF title, looking like the biggest villain in the room.
Would the Montreal Screwjob have made Bischoff pick up the phone?
“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “Than I would have been early on.”
Why the sudden change of heart? It wasn’t about talent. It was about leverage. Bischoff saw a man who had just been publicly humiliated and fired.
“He’s too scary for me two years ago. He’s too unpredictable. He had too many options,” Bischoff explained. “This guy just got thrown out on his ass. This guy may be easier to work with.”
In typical Bischoff fashion, he saw an opportunity to be opportunistic. A humbled Shawn Michaels, fresh off getting screwed out of WWE, would have been a different animal than the cocky youngster running wild in the mid-90s. Bischoff admits he would have sat down with him, read the room, and probably taken the risk.
So, did Eric Bischoff dodge a bullet or miss a goldmine? That depends on which Shawn Michaels showed up. But one thing is clear: if the Montreal Screwjob had happened a year earlier, the entire history of the Monday Night War might look very different today.
What do you think? Would a WCW Shawn Michaels have saved the company or sunk it faster? Drop your thoughts below.
