5 major feuds Eric Bischoff had in WWE

Recently a piece of groundbreaking news hit the wrestling fans across the planet when WWE named Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman as the Executive Directors of SmackDown Live and Raw respectively. Everyone is speculating how the landscape is going to change for WWE, especially for the Superstars on both the rosters.

There is no doubt to the fact that these two veterans are geniuses of the wrestling business. Both of them have been heels for their entire run in WWE till now, so fans are excited about the controversies which are going to treat them in the upcoming weeks on Raw and SmackDown Live.

Eric Bischoff has been the General Manager of Raw in the past and had created quite a stir the last time he was around. Here are the top five feuds which he had when he was calling the shots.

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#5 Squaring off against Stephanie McMahon

In-ring negotiation with Triple H at Vengeance 2002.

Stephanie McMahon was appointed the General Manager of SmackDown in 2002 when Eric Bischoff was given the charge of Raw. Both these managers started a rivalry against each other, each trying to prove that their show is better than the other.

The friction between two led to many memorable moments on both the shows including an intense SummerSlam (2002) when both of them shared the General Manager office taking jabs at each other. This tussle for power also showcased a couple of remarkable in-ring negotiations to sign the Superstars like Triple H, Brock Lesnar and Scott Steiner for their respective shows.

This rivalry saw its end when Stephanie McMahon was written off as the General Manager of SmackDown after she lost to Vince McMahon in a first-ever “Father-Daughter I-Quit” match at No Mercy 2003.

#4 Power tussle against Paul Heyman

Backstage on Raw during the Annual Draft Lottery in 2004

Soon after Stephanie McMahon was ruled out as the General Manager of SmackDown, Paul Heyman was chosen for the position. This was the time when both the shows had a power-hungry heel as their authority figures.

Earlier in their days, Eric Bischoff used to manage WCW, while Paul Heyman was the creative head for ECW. Both these men brought their experience and creative expertise to the table during this period. Not to mention, the babyfaces on both the shows had a hard time with these two in command.

The culmination of this rivalry took place at the annual WWE Draft Lottery in March 2004. As the last pick of the night, Eric Bischoff randomly picked the ball which had the name of Paul Heyman inside it, establishing the latter to work for the former. Agitated by the result, Paul Heyman chose to quit WWE rather than working for his adversary.

#3 Linda and Shane McMahon

It was quite an intense run as Kane became a whole new monster after losing his mask.

Eric Bischoff thrived in his four-year run as the General Manager of Raw from 2002 to 2005. Not to mention, he didn’t hesitate going toe-to-toe against the almighty McMahons. One such instance was when he was booked in a storyline against Linda McMahon and Shane McMahon.

As the General Manager of Raw, Eric became unstoppable thanks to the power which comes with the coveted position. During that time, he made a few inappropriate remarks and gestures at Linda McMahon. Not to mention, the infamous visit he paid her at the hospital.

Shane McMahon, Linda’ son, took an exception to this and got in a feud with Bischoff. The two of them got booked in a Falls Count Anywhere match at SummerSlam (2003), in which Shane came out as victorious. However, in a matter of months, Shane was taken out by Kane, and Eric had the last laugh.

#2 The war of the Co-General Managers

How's the stunner, Bischoff?

As the tyranny of Eric Bischoff became unbearable, Linda McMahon announced that a new General Manager would share the duties on a 50-50 basis. He would, more importantly, keep Bischoff in line. The other manager was none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The “Rattlesnake” had a strong disliking towards Eric Bischoff and hence was hand-picked for the role. The two masterminds soon began to question and counter each other’s decision. Not to mention, Eric Bischoff was at the receiving end of quite a few Stunners, which got a huge pop from the crowd.

Austin forcibly got Bischoff drunk on numerous occasions, which incapacitated the latter to perform his duties while Austin enjoyed being the sole manager of the show. This rivalry divided the locker room into two halves and at Survivor Series, the two men pitted their teams against each other. Team-Austin lost in that match and Austin was forced to quit as his job was on the line.

#1 All the babyfaces on Raw

One of the most controversial referee ever.

Eric Bischoff was evergreen and one of the top Heels on WWE. He consistently plotted against all the babyfaces on the show and successfully drew major heat due to this. He went on to have major tussles against the likes of Shawn Michaels, Bill Goldberg, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, John Cena, and many more. This established him as one of the most hated guys on the Raw roster.

Ironically, his tenure as the Raw General Manager concluded with his rivalry against John Cena in December 2005. Soon after he lost against SmackDown’s General Manager, Theodore Long.

There is no doubt that the fans are excited as Eric Bischoff is once again in-charge as one of the Executive Directors. He is one man who has always created controversies, and fans have loved to watch the show because of this.