Eric Bischoff names WWE star he would manage if he returned

Eric Bischoff worked for WWE as an authority figure from 2002 to 2005 before returning in 2019 for a brief run as SmackDown's Executive Director. The WWE Hall of Famer recently addressed how he would like to be booked if he ever made a surprise comeback as an on-screen character.

Bischoff has made several cameo appearances on WWE television over the last few years. In December 2024, he exchanged words with Ridge Holland and Trick Williams during an in-ring promo on NXT.

On his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff revealed he has kept in touch with Holland since their NXT interaction. Asked to name someone he would manage in a fantasy-booking scenario, the 70-year-old named the Englishman.

"I've had a few conversations with Ridge since that time," Bischoff said. "We've become, I don't wanna say friends, we're friendly. We haven't been out to have a beer or anything like that, but we started communicating. That's an example of somebody that would be fun to work with because they're so wide open and so eager to learn and driven to succeed. That's fun. I'd throw my hat into the ring for Ridge just because I've had a chance to get to know him a little bit." [55:26 – 55:57]

Details of Goldberg's last match HERE

Holland held the NXT Tag Team Championship with Andre Chase for 19 days in 2024. He has not wrestled on television since participating in a Battle Royal on the May 6 episode of NXT.

Eric Bischoff on the art of building wrestling's future talents

In the mid-to-late 1990s, Eric Bischoff played a vital role behind the scenes in WCW's television ratings success over WWE.

Speaking from experience, the former WCW President explained why he sometimes prefers to work with inexperienced wrestlers.

"It's harder to untrain that bad habit than it is to train in a good habit from the beginning, so working with somebody that doesn't have a lot of experience can be the most rewarding because you don't have to undo anything," Bischoff said. "They're just moldable clay in your hands, and it's up to you to shape it and make art out of it as a director or coach, I guess." [54:54 – 55:17]

In the same episode, Bischoff addressed whether Hulk Hogan could attend a WWE legend's upcoming retirement match.

Please credit 83 Weeks and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use Eric Bischoff's quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart