Eric Bischoff on WWF’s Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against WCW Over the Look of Scott Hall

– On the latest 83 Weeks, former WWE Smackdown Executive Director Eric Bischoff discussed WWF’s copyright infringement lawsuit against WCW when the company brought in Scott Hall (formerly Razor Ramon) in 1996. At the time, WWF alleged that Hall’s look in WCW was too much like Razor Ramon. Below are some highlights.

Bischoff on WWE accusing WCW of copyright infringement of the Razor Ramon gimmick when they brought in Scott Hall, and how a lot of elements of that look already existed with Scott Hall when he was the Diamond Studd: “No, and in retrospect, I don’t want to say it was a mistake because if you go back and look at the Diamond Studd character before Scott Hall went to the WWF, from the toothpick, to the curl, to the Puerto Rican influence, it was all there. Now, I’m not going to suggest that there wasn’t some similarities between Scott Hall’s appearance when he showed up in WCW and his former character in WWF, Razor Ramon. And I think the slicked back hair, exactly the way it looked, with the curl exactly the way it looked was probably the thing that got WWE — I don’t know, we never really had that discussion — but it was probably one of the things that really got their attention, they hung their hat on. But well, I tell you what, even after all these years, one of the things that — when I say it pisses me off, it’s just like, ‘Goddammit! We could’ve won that!'”

Bischoff on how Turner Broadcasting’s legal department wasn’t prepared to challenge WWF and Jerry McDevitt at the time: “As you go back and you look at that Diamond Studd character, that was an issue that no one on the legal side of Turner Broadcasting raised. They just didn’t do a good job fighting Jerry McDevitt. They couldn’t. They just weren’t equipped. When Jerry camped out on that similarity between the WWF Razor Ramon character and the similar look of Scott Hall in WCW, one of the first things a decent attorney should have done is go, ‘No, motherf***er. Look back to 1991 or 1992, whenever it was, when the Diamond Studd was flicking toothpicks at the crowd.’ But that was the one thing that Jerry McDevitt — probably the largest thing, not the one thing. There were other things, but it was probably one of the more significant issues that they raised in that lawsuit was the similarity between Razor Ramon and Scott Hall when he showed up in WCW. And I submit that he didn’t show up looking like Razor Ramon necessarily. I submit that he showed up looking like Diamond Studd wearing a jean jacket, or a vest.”

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