The nWo has long been hailed as Eric Bischoffs brainchild and something that truly changed the business forever. However, Bischoff has been accused of ripping off the idea of the nWo and he has now addressed the accusations.
While speaking on Podcast Heat Wrestling, Eric Bischoff responded to Greg Gagnes claim that he stole the idea for the nWo by saying the story isnt true and Greg has no credibility. He explained that people like Greg and Vince Russo as well, often take a real event, twist the truth just enough to make themselves look smart and add a small fact to make it sound believable. Bischoff said with Greg Gagne, its hard to even find that small piece of truth.
Bischoff said that during his time in WCW, no one from Turner Broadcasting was in the creative meetings, it was just him. He also said he didnt see any value in Gregs creative ideas. He admitted that Greg Gagne was good at helping wrestlers understand match psychology and how to tell a story in the ring, but said others were better.
For example, he said Terry Taylor was one of the best when he was focused, and Jeff Jarrett was great at working with younger talent and teaching them how to tell the story from the script inside the ring.
Bischoff said that Greg and his father Verne Gagne made a lot of mistakes and ruined many chances. He learned more from them about what not to do than what to do, especially when it came to TV and creative ideas. He also said it made sense that they wanted to sell the old AWA footage since it wasnt worth much anymore and they needed the money, but that had nothing to do with creating the nWo.
Easy E criticized people who claimed he stole the nWo idea from Japan, saying Japan never had a storyline like nWo. He said both Greg Gagne and Dave Meltzer tried to take credit for the idea, but they were both wrong.
Bischoff said he actually feels sorry for Greg Gagne. He called him a good guy who could be fun and a decent storyteller, but said that whenever Greg tried to make himself look good, the story fell apart. Just like he couldnt succeed as a wrestler, he couldnt make himself look good in his stories either. Bischoff believes Greg only got to where he was in the business because of his father and that it hurt the AWA.
Bischoff finished by saying he doesnt feel sorry for Greg enough to talk to him again. He compared Greg to an injured animal on the side of the road, still alive, but suffering. He said he learned not to interfere and just let people like Greg and Vince Russo fail on their own. To him, this situation is just another example of that happening.
No matter what people think of Bischoff, its clear that his ideas for the nWo changed pro wrestling in a massive way. By strongly denying what Greg Gagne and others have claimed, Bischoff is once again making it clear that he sees himself as the one who created one of wrestlings most famous storylines and thats obviously not going to change in this lifetime.
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Do you believe the n Wo was entirely Eric Bischoffs creation, or do you think theres more to the story? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
