Eric Bischoff on Claims He Called Steve Austin Unmarketable in WCW, Austin’s Anti-WCW Skits in ECW

On the latest 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff looked back on the end of Steve Austin’s WCW run and addressed rumors he called Austin unmarketable and injury-prone. Austin claimed in his book The Stone Cold Truth that in addition to the famous story of Bischoff firing him over the phone and Fed-Exing Austin’s termination papers to him while he was injured, Bischoff had a conversation with him sometime before that where Bischoff said, “You know Steve, you might need to find something else to do for a living or somewhere else to go. Maybe New Japan or ECW, because you go out there in those black trunks and black boots and there’s not a whole lot of ways for me to market that.”

Asked about that story, Bischoff denied it and said that it would be antithetical to what he believed in. He also discussed Austin’s anti-WCW skits that he did in in ECW after he was fired by Bischoff. You can check out highlights and the full podcast below:

On claims that he called Austin unmarketable: “No, no, no, no. Look, no. Not buying that one. I would have never said that. That’s just not me … Sure, it became the narrative, just like ‘Uncle Eric’ and ‘ATM Eric’ and a lot of s**t became the narrative when guys went over to ECW that had been working for WCW, and were trying to get themselves over. And about the same time that WCW, by the way, was really turning the corner. So it was easy to be anti-Eric, anti-WCW in order to get yourself over. Not an uncommon technique at that point, and it was for a long time. But it doesn’t mean it was true. Now, is it possible I could have referenced in some, way, shape, or form in a conversation, ‘Maybe we need to do something to get more pop out of Steve’? You know, sure. But the whole, ‘Black boots, black tights, that’ll never work’ s**t? That’s antithetical to everything that I’ve ever been a fan of or believed in since. So ain’t buying it. Not calling anybody a liar, could have happened, I don’t believe it.”

On what he thought of Austin’s anti-WCW skits in ECW: “I saw it, like — I didn’t see it on television because I couldn’t get ECW. Not being disrespectful to Paul or ECW or the people that were there. Where I lived in Atlanta, I couldn’t get it. It wasn’t available to me, right? So the fact that I wasn’t watching it on a regular basis had nothing to do with my opinion of it, I just couldn’t get it. But, on these particular skits that you’re talking about, I’d see them on tape. People would send me tape or somebody would bring a tape in that could see it. And I saw it, I laughed my a** off. Again, it’s flattering to me. These guys needed me to get themselves over. I was a heel, I was their heel. And it helped them. I mean, that’s the way I look at it. I didn’t take it personally, I didn’t get upset about it. It’s kind of like, ‘Well, f**k. I must be getting over if they’re relying on me to get themselves over. Felt the same way about Mick Foley’s stuff. Didn’t bother me a bit. So yes, I saw it after it happened via video tape that somebody else would give me. But no, I didn’t react negatively to it. I thought it was flattering, still do.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit 83 Weeks with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.