What's the story?
In a recent episode of his “Bischoff on Wrestling” podcast, Eric Bischoff alleges that Ric Flair attacked him during a bizarre backstage incident. Bischoff claimed he was on the phone when an enraged Flair approached him and began to throw punches, according to a report from Wrestlezone.
“I’ve been hit. I’ve been hit a lot and I’ve been hit hard. I’m looking at Ric and he’s clearly over the top pissed off and he’s throwing punches at me but they’re like… not connecting," Bischoff said.
In case you didn’t know...
Flair and Bischoff’s careers intertwined for much of the 1990s and 2000s. They were rivals in WCW during the NWO storyline, with Bischoff revealed as the mastermind of the NWO, and Flair serving as the face of WCW’s Four Horsemen.
They even faced off in a match at Starrcade 1998, with Bischoff coming out victorious thanks to an illegal object provided by Curt Hennig. Both men also appeared in WWE and TNA once the WCW shut its doors.
The heart of the matter
The former wrestling executive and performer said that he was “confused” by the attack, which took place at a WWE event in St. Louis in 2003, and wasn’t even certain how serious the attack was until he realised Flair had bitten his own lip in the effort.
I got off the phone, I stood up and in that moment I realized Ric had flipped and really wants to go. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not afraid to fight. Just because I don’t like to fight doesn’t mean I am afraid to fight or that I am not good at it. I didn’t want to fight Ric. Ric is a friend. I was confused. He backed me into a wall and got really violent. Then it got loud and Sgt. Slaughter came in to the room and it all got broke up.
Bischoff went on to say that he and Flair haven’t spoken about the event since.
Incidents like this have been reported to take place throughout the history of professional wrestling and continue to occur to this day. This story mainly has value because of the confusing nature of the encounter, with Bischoff uncertain if the attack was real or not.
The two have “let it go,” according to Bischoff, who also noted that they haven’t discussed it. He went on to say that Flair was going through a lot of turmoil at the time.
What’s next?
It’s unlikely that anything will come of this, but the venue certainly exists for a resolution to take place. Bischoff recently appeared on an episode of “Table for 3” on the WWE Network alongside Jim Cornette and Michael Hayes, in which he and Cornette seemed to get beyond some differences.
With this story having come to light, it’s certainly possible that Flair and Bischoff could get a chance to sit down on the Network and reach an agreement on what took place that night.
Author’s take
Truthfully, this story is just another example of what can make podcasts like Bischoff’s great. Fans get an insight into what went on backstage during pro wrestling’s wilder days before the more corporate setting of today’s WWE.
Further, it’s entirely possible that Bischoff may be utilising some “selective memory” in his recollection of this story. While his “Table for 3” episode served to mend some fences with Cornette, it also seemed like both men may have had a rosier view of their own actions during the Monday Night War era than might have been reality.
It would not be surprising in the least if Bischoff actually should have known exactly what Flair was upset about, but we may never know the truth.
