Courtesy: www.MondayNightMayhem.com
TNA’s Eric Bischoff was one of the featured guests on this week’s live edition of the award-winning Monday Night Mayhem: You can feel The Mayhem every Monday evening (at 7PM ET/6PM CT), exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.AudioWrestling.com, www.Geekweek.com, www.Hybrident.tv, & www.iTunes.com). Join The Mayhem right now on Facebook (at www.Facebook.com/MondayNightMayhem), and follow The Mayhem on Twitter (at www.Twitter.com/FeelTheMayhem).
Eric joined The Big Mosh & “The Chairman of the Board” Todd Vincent for his return to “Your Home of Wrestling Radio” & for another installment of his exclusive monthly interactive segment on Monday Night Mayhem, “The Hot Seat With Eric Bischoff” (flavored by Sizzlin Sauces), which is now available in Windows Streaming Media or via the official MNM Podcast on iTunes:
“The Hot Seat With Eric Bischoff” (flavored by Sizzlin Sauces) (MNM Streaming Audio): www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/060611.wax
“The Hot Seat With Eric Bischoff” (flavored by Sizzlin Sauces) (MNM Podcast on iTunes): www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/june11/060611.mp3
Questions were taken via Eric’s & MNM’s official Facebook pages (located at www.Facebook.com/TheEricBischoff & www.Facebook.com/MondayNightMayhem), along with The Mayhem Line ( 877.666.2110 ). Interview highlights courtesy of Paterson, MNM’s associate producer & official correspondent:
The importance of talking about how TNA is actually doing as a company in the eyes of Spike TV: “People keep making statements about how TNA is not doing well, or TNA sucks, or whatever juvenile trite that comes out of their heads. It occurred to to me that no one is talking about how TNA is doing as a company. Coincidentally, I got an e-mail from Spike Television talking about last Thursday night’s ratings. In the e-mail, it said that Impact Wrestling was the #1 rated show in its demo & in its time period, despite that we were up against the NBA Finals. Impact Wrestling is the #1 program on all of Spike Television. We outperform the UFC. To be able to be the the #1 show on that network in prime-time is a very significant achievement. I just wanted to point that out, because not enough people are talking about the good things going out in TNA.”
How disappointed he would be if Mick Foley left TNA at the end of his contract & whether or not Mick was ever hard to work with on or off-camera: “Mick wasn’t hard for me to work with. I thoroughly enjoyed the on-camera work that Mick & I had together. I think some of the best moments that I’ve had on camera on Impact Wrestling I’ve had with Mick Foley. I will miss working on camera with Mick Foley. In terms of being disappointed, as much as I enjoyed working with Mick, there’s a very limited role for someone like Mick Foley, a character like me who doesn’t wrestle, who is really only a talker. If you look at where Impact Wrestling is right now, there’s just not a whole lot of room for more guys like me or Hulk Hogan. We just have to be the central focus of the storyline and probably will be for some time, and there’s only so much real estate. A lot of that real estate has to go to guys who can deliver action in the ring.”
How big of a blow would Kurt Angle’s full-time absence be for TNA while he is training in London, England for the 2012 Olympics: “I don’t think it’ll be a problem at all. I’m a strong believer that when you have large characters like a Kurt Angle, or a Rob Van Dam, or a Ken Anderson, or you name it, you have to cycle those personalities out from time to time in order to keep them fresh. We have seen a lot of Kurt Angle over the last year & a half. He has been central to so many storylines that if Kurt needs some time away to pursue the Olympics, and I think the publicity surrounding that would be great for our company & for Kurt Angle himself, that it will give his character time to refresh and come back more valuable than if he would just stay around and work a full-time schedule like everyone else.”
His thoughts on Chyna’s decision to restart her career in the adult entertainment industry vs. her career in professional wrestling & his reaction to her comments of TNA “missing the boat” after choosing to not bring her back to the company: “I didn’t know she made the comment that TNA ‘missed the boat,’ but I was not excited with the fact that the company decided to bring her in for the (Sacrifice) Pay-Per-View. The initial thought was a turnoff for me, but I kept my mouth shut. When I saw her at the Pay-Per-View and saw that ‘deer in the headlights’ look in her eyes when it actually came time to do something, it kind of confirmed what my instincts told me. Then I read about the fact that she wants to build her career around doing anal sex videos for Vivid. I was really, really, really, really glad that I don’t have to try & explain to anybody why I work in the same company as her.”
More is contained in the latest installment of “The Hot Seat” (flavored by Sizzlin Sauces), including Eric’s candid thoughts on whether the rumors of Impact Wrestling going on the road this summer are true, why he has mixed feelings about Mr. Anderson’s impersonations of Sting over the past several weeks on Impact Wrestling, how much of a proponent he is for TNA to expand even more into the world of the video game industry, why “wrestling matters” to him, his feelings on the “10%’ers” of the “Internet Wrestling Community,” his memories of working with Shaquille O’Neal & what he feels that Shaq may have to offer the world of television in retirement, why he believes the night of Owen Hart’s tragic passing & WWE’s subsequent decision to “go on with the show” is the “most controversial moment” in wrestling history, plus much more! If you missed the live & interactive “Hot Seat” experience, then tune in to “Your Home of Wrestling Radio” on Monday evening, July 18th (beginning at 7:40PM ET/6:40PM CT), as “The Hot Seat With Eric Bischoff” (flavored by Sizzlin Sauces) will return LIVE! This is your chance to speak directly to TNA’s Eric Bischoff coming off the heels of TNA’s Victory Road Pay-Per-View. Post your questions right now on Eric’s official Facebook page (located at www.Facebook.com/MondayNightMayhem), along with that of Monday Night Mayhem (located at www.Facebook.com/MondayNightMayhem).