Vince McMahon's "creative genius" disputed by WWE Hall of Famer

Vince McMahon was WWE's creative figurehead for four decades before being replaced by his son-in-law Triple H in 2022. In a recent podcast episode, Eric Bischoff gave his thoughts on some people describing the former WWE Chairman as a "creative genius."

Bischoff was in charge of WCW when Nitro beat WWE RAW in the television ratings for 83 straight weeks from 1996 to 1998. The WWE Hall of Famer later worked for McMahon as an on-screen character in the 2000s. He also briefly returned in 2019 as a behind-the-scenes Executive Director.

On his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff made it clear to host Conrad Thompson that McMahon's "genius" ideas were not always his own.

"I have the utmost respect for the accomplishments of one Vincent K. McMahon. You and I would not be doing this podcast were it not for Vincent K. McMahon. There's no question in my mind when I say that. However, anybody that thinks that this guy was like the creative genius, Vince was good at picking out other people's ideas and figuring out what might work."

Vince McMahon celebrated his 80th birthday on August 24. In an exclusive interview, WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter disclosed details about the two-night party.

Eric Bischoff "never saw" Vince McMahon's creative genius

In 2002, Vince McMahon's on-screen character was responsible for bringing the New World Order (nWo) to WWE. Eric Bischoff, the creator of the iconic WCW stable, thought the storyline was "stupid" and confused fans.

Elaborating on McMahon's creative ideas, Bischoff implied that the former WWE boss approved suggestions instead of planning storylines himself.

"Coming up with his own [ideas], I'm not so sure about. I never really saw that. Maybe he was. I just never saw it. I did see him, however, filtering a lot of other people's ideas and then taking either one or maybe a couple of them and merging them and melding them together, and coming up with his version of some of the things that were being presented to him."

Bischoff also revealed the real reason why plans for Hulk Hogan's Netflix biopic were canceled in 2024.

Please credit 83 Weeks and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use 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