Eric Bischoff On Whether it Was a Mistake Putting Mongo McMichael in the Ring

– On the latest 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff discussed Steve “Mongo” McMichael wrestling for WCW and why he didn’t work out as an in-ring competitor. McMichael was a former NFL defensive tackle who played 14 years before retiring from the sport, and was hired in 1995 to be a babyface color commentator for WCW. Mongo was eventually brought into the ring for a feud with the Four Horsemen, which led to a United States Championship win over Jeff Jarrett at the final Clash of the Champions. Mongo’s work in the ring didn’t get over with fans and despite various feuds and even joining a reformed Horsemen in 1998, he was never able to connect with fans.

Highlights from the discussion, and the full podcast, are below:

On if bringing Mongo into the ring was the right call: “Mmm, no. I think that was a mistake. I want to say, I understand why we did it … I know why I did it, and I guess it was one of those things, on paper it kind of made sense. He was very anxious to get physically involved; that was Steve’s nature at that time. It made sense to me on paper, but at the end of it all, I think it diminished the potential he had as a color commentator. Because the wrestling audience, they didn’t buy it. You know, he wasn’t skilled enough really.”
On his performance at Clash of the Champions 35: “And this match, I think he does okay in this match. Because it is very basic. And that was the only type of match that Mongo could have, was a very basic match because he didn’t have a decade or more of experience under his belt in the ring. Great athlete, tough guy, but that doesn’t necessarily make you a great performer in the ring. So in retrospect, yeah it was a mistake on my part. No doubt about it.”

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