Eric Bischoff American entrepreneur active in the professional wrestling industry. Date of Birth: 27.05.1955 Country: USA

1. Early Life and Wrestling Career
2. Transition to Professional Wrestling
3. WCW Executive
4. WWE Raw General Manager
5. Post-WWE and Independent Appearances

Early Life and Wrestling Career

Eric Aaron Bischoff was born in a rough neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 27, 1955. As a child, he wrestled for his school team. At age 12, Bischoff's family moved to Minnesota, where he continued to wrestle and also took up taekwondo. He eventually earned a black belt and competed in small tournaments across the country in the 1970s. During one such trip, Bischoff met future WCW employee Katsuyo Onoe (Sonny) and professional wrestling star Diamond Dallas Page.

Transition to Professional Wrestling

Before entering professional wrestling, Bischoff worked various jobs, including running a construction company, serving as a veterinary assistant, and owning a meat shop. He began his wrestling career as a gofer for American Wrestling Association (AWA) owner Verne Gagne, eventually working as an interviewer and show host before AWA folded in 1990. Bischoff's unexpected hosting debut occurred when the regular host was arrested for drunk driving, and Gagne and his son decided to have Bischoff fill in as he was nearby and wearing a suit and tie.

WCW Executive

In 1991, Bischoff joined WCW as an announcer, and two years later, he was appointed executive producer of the company. By 1997, he had become the President of WCW. Convincing the company's owners to invest more money to compete with the WWF, he poached some of their top stars, including Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. Bischoff also increased the number of pay-per-views, which led to the first-ever profitable year for WCW. Among Bischoff's other accomplishments was the launch of WCW Nitro, a competitor to WWF's highly-rated Monday Night Raw.

WWE Raw General Manager

Bischoff's tenure at WCW came to an end when he lost the support of Ted Turner, whose role in running the company had changed. On September 10, 1999, Bischoff was abruptly fired from his executive position. He would unsuccessfully attempt to purchase WCW with a group of investors. In 2002, Bischoff was hired by WWE as the General Manager of the Raw brand, a position he held until 2005. He made several changes to the show and also appeared in the ring as a wrestler, including a storyline where he was fired and thrown into a dumpster.

Post-WWE and Independent Appearances

After leaving WWE Raw, Bischoff worked on reality television shows and made occasional appearances in independent professional wrestling matches in various capacities.