My guesses as I start this: Honky, Ole Anderson, and Greg Gagne. People who deserved firing but it was harder: Vader, Ventura, Austin, Waltman, Jerry Jarrett(?)
Yes!! Cause we all know Conrad would just be interrupting Eric with his “ Common Man….” And even though this is an Eric question, Conrad would be doing the most talking which is annoying
Conrad gets flak for his endless defence of AEW and the Young Bucks aka the Vince McManlet brothers. He also only EVER uses Dave Meltzdown as a source, when Eric, Dutch, and Corny are way better sources and more knowledgeable about the business because they lived it.
He blames meltzer for him not being more respected. Eric sees himself as the guy who could have beat vince. Meltzer made famous his failures in wcw, buying wcw and tna.
Honkeytonk Man should have ton d down the Jumpsuit goofiness and run a faction called The Memphis Mafia . He could have been the Raven of Memphis Talent in WCW .
@@Fencellisk Eric also paved the way for the Vince character, as he was on screen as the heel authority a full year before Montreal. I'm glad people are starting to give Eric his proper flowers in the IWC, as the Meltzer marks used to crap on Eric for nearly 20 years. Dude really is on the Mount Rushmore of promoters, no questions.
@@zigga967I agree with everything except the mount Rushmore part unless you're saying since the 90s. Vince Sr. Bill Watts. Fritz Von Erich. Verne Gagne just to name a few have more success over much longer periods of time.
In HTM's defense, his "ultimatum" (to my knowledge) was to give him a contract vs his current "employment situation" with WCW (contract worker). HTM (true or not) argued if he was going to be job'd every night, he wanted to have a contract (remember guys like the Iron Sheik were paid a good salary just to 'sit at home' for WCW at the end). As an "independ./contract" HTMs value would only go down if he was just doing jobs on TV all the time. I can see it from Eric's perspective though (eg., why should I give a guy a contract to somebody I didn't think much of their "gimmick"?)
The Attitude Era didn’t happen because of Austin, actually they never planned on pushing Austin, he was always slated to be in the midcard. Then the Curtain Call incident happened, the original choice to win the 96 King of the Ring, Triple H was punished for that. And was replaced by Austin. Had the Curtain Call not happened their would be no Austin 3:16. The Attitude Era was a knee jerk response to what WCW was doing and trying to not go out of business. Had the nWo no happened WWF would have stayed as they were.
I feel like Stunning Steve really broke wide open during the Steamboat feud. You can definitely see the beginnings of “Stone Cold” in mid/late 94. The promos, the scratching and clawing in the ring… Speaking of Austin being underated around 94, there’s an awesome Japanese match between Austin and Arn Anderson. It was the very first match I ever saw Steve do the honest handshake thing before the match, and clean breaks. It used to be on DailyMotion, but it got scrubbed by NJPW. Really good if you can find it.
For Sean Waltman it sounds like he was working back n forth with wcw and wwe and wanted to stay with wcw but messed up and signed wwe right after to be on tv in a week.
im amazed he continues to compare DX to the nWo. DX was a couple guys orginally, not 15 and they weren't trying to run the whole fed and attack everyone in the locker room
I think it has more to do with how each faction was fighting the company, not so much their size and methods. That was ultimately the appeal of each group for most fans at the time afterall.
Aahhaahhah! I loved Honky Tonk, Hhahaahah!! When DX hit the ring, My Mates an I went and took a piss, grabbed a fresh set of beers, smoked Our ciggies outside till We heard the bell. Great show Kids, thanks.
The top 5 should have fired list would be good. And maybe the top 5 performers he regrets signing (too much money, backstage problems, substance issues, couldn't find a role/creative, etc).
Brian Pillman wasn't really a firing on bad terms, it was so he can go out and build his character. He would've been welcomed back to WCW with open arms anytime he wanted.
Raven was a Top 5 guy in ECW. He was only a Top 20 guy in ECW, without being much further down the card. WCW just had so many more people and big names When he ended up in the WWF, he was still a top 20 guy, bit WAY lower down the card ...
Here's something that has never been said..."Man I was really looking forward to that interview with (insert name), he seems super interesting and knowledgeable about a subject I have interest in, but I had to turn it off 2 minutes in because there wasn't any generic rock guitar playing in a loop over him talking."
I knew Tonk Man would be on this list somewhere. I thought Jake Roberts would be on here too. Also, kill the background music, it is annoying trying to hear Bischoff over that.
Respect to Eric for sticking to his guns with Waltman......however I dont buy his "thats a no fly zone" mentality as something he would ALWAYS do. If Scott, Kevin or Hulk (or others) pulled that with their manager, no f'n way Eric sticks to his Ideals and just fires them.
"Mutual Firing". The first time I have ever heard that. In the working sector, a firing would mean unemployment benefits most times. But a Mutual Firing...🤔
People forget just how stuck in the mud Steve was back then . We all used to say he was gonna be big soon and it was not happening . So he lost so much momentum as an up and comer . Getting fired pulled him free .
sasha banks fell into bad depression when it was hard for her to seperate her gimmick and reality. apparently it happens with alot of top stars who works alot of dates. i read somewhere some wrestlers sometimes forget their real name.
I'm liking most of this new stuff Eric and the crew are doing. If he's got something to say, hop on RUclips and say it. But the background music... That's gotta go. Learn as ya go. Keep up the good work
I bet my money that Honky Tonk Man is on the list.
Number 1
Should be number 0. Lol! He should have his own hour long special. @@nickbanks7954
My guesses as I start this: Honky, Ole Anderson, and Greg Gagne. People who deserved firing but it was harder: Vader, Ventura, Austin, Waltman, Jerry Jarrett(?)
In my hopez I wyshed the hunky tank main an Raeven wuld hav teemd uph 2 run w1ld en WceeW!!!!11234
@@datacipher I always liked Vader. He was a guy that should always be scary
Love the shows without Chilidog Conrad. Please put him on your FIRED list.
I think Conrad owns the company that does these shows.
Don't cry bro!
No Conrad makes me want to watch this TWICE!!
Yes!! Cause we all know Conrad would just be interrupting Eric with his “ Common Man….” And even though this is an Eric question, Conrad would be doing the most talking which is annoying
@@hotsalsaept Sheeesh, everyones on Conrads case lately?
@@jonoedwards4195 and for good reason
I dont understand. He's the best podcast host there is.
Conrad gets flak for his endless defence of AEW and the Young Bucks aka the Vince McManlet brothers. He also only EVER uses Dave Meltzdown as a source, when Eric, Dutch, and Corny are way better sources and more knowledgeable about the business because they lived it.
Just some feedback . Don’t need the background music
I love how Eric never misses an opportunity in these videos to shit on Meltzer 🤣
He blames meltzer for him not being more respected. Eric sees himself as the guy who could have beat vince. Meltzer made famous his failures in wcw, buying wcw and tna.
The background music it’s killing me
Cry more
@@dcan5012 EAD
Honkeytonk Man should have ton d down the Jumpsuit goofiness and run a faction called The Memphis Mafia . He could have been the Raven of Memphis Talent in WCW .
That’s a great idea!!!
I enjoyed when eric told randy andersons kids can you tell your father that he's still fired.
That was so cold! I was still a kid when that happened. Lol!
@@Fencellisk Eric also paved the way for the Vince character, as he was on screen as the heel authority a full year before Montreal. I'm glad people are starting to give Eric his proper flowers in the IWC, as the Meltzer marks used to crap on Eric for nearly 20 years. Dude really is on the Mount Rushmore of promoters, no questions.
@@zigga967I agree with everything except the mount Rushmore part unless you're saying since the 90s. Vince Sr. Bill Watts. Fritz Von Erich. Verne Gagne just to name a few have more success over much longer periods of time.
@@FencelliskI was 12 and i rewatch nitro all the time and i still pop for that 😂
@@FlairVSSavage man. That's cold. Lol!
“We were evolving into reality-based characters …” meanwhile here’s the dungeon of doom with the YETTAY
😂😂 Good call out!
Flair is definitely one that can't separate his character from reality to this day. I think Bischoff was talking about him there😂
He absolutely was
@@AlexThorn WOOOOO!
One of the best, WOOOOOOO!!!
So is Hogan.
Agree with all comments. I can see Goldberg in this category too.
@@pellel8283 And Lex Luger was also like that before finding God.
Thanks for firing Steve Austin as Stone Cold arrived shortly after and he helped make the WWE 90's Attitude era. Thanks Eric we love u❤
I'm digging Bischoff's cartoon eyes.
I wish Brian wouldn't have got the injury because him returning to WCW would've been phenomenal.
I don't think he had any intention of going back to the shit show that WCW was.
The Loose Cannon
@@sobo5476the time frame he was supposed to return was the peak of the nwo
Pillman would have been in the middle of a run with Austin… no way he’d leave to get buried on an over bloated roster
I got long sided burns and my hair slick back...I'm coming to your town in my pink Cadillac. I'm just The Honky Tonk Man!.
Dave Meltzer thought Vince McMahon was a heel boss character before Eric? Why do people even listen to Dave. He is not there in his head. 😂
Go watch Vince's stuff in Memphis prior to 96. The Mr. McMahon character was absolutely there.
In HTM's defense, his "ultimatum" (to my knowledge) was to give him a contract vs his current "employment situation" with WCW (contract worker). HTM (true or not) argued if he was going to be job'd every night, he wanted to have a contract (remember guys like the Iron Sheik were paid a good salary just to 'sit at home' for WCW at the end). As an "independ./contract" HTMs value would only go down if he was just doing jobs on TV all the time. I can see it from Eric's perspective though (eg., why should I give a guy a contract to somebody I didn't think much of their "gimmick"?)
Imagine walking down your street for a stroll and you look over and there is Eric and a few blocks over, Stone Cold.
Crazy to think what WWF/WWE might look like had Eric NOT fired Steve Austin, what the "Attitude Era" would of looked like.
The Attitude Era didn’t happen because of Austin, actually they never planned on pushing Austin, he was always slated to be in the midcard. Then the Curtain Call incident happened, the original choice to win the 96 King of the Ring, Triple H was punished for that. And was replaced by Austin. Had the Curtain Call not happened their would be no Austin 3:16. The Attitude Era was a knee jerk response to what WCW was doing and trying to not go out of business. Had the nWo no happened WWF would have stayed as they were.
EZE is definitely in these RUclips streets i wake up to new content every day 🐐💐
Loose cannon was way ahead of its time
Good interview, background music is unnecessary and super annoying with headphones. Major fail for whoever decided to include that.
At the one minute mark I decided to fast forward to see if the background music was still there. It was so I stopped watching the video.
You're so right about that. I have background noise. It helps.
Well aren't yall some picky folks w your 1st World complaints 🤣
@@lokofrancothis your first time on the internet?
It was conrad
Honky Tonks gimmick could only ever be relevant up the mid-late 80's.
Soon as i saw this i knew HTM was gonna be 1
Vince Russo : I CAME UP WITH THE MONTREAL SCREWJOB!!!!!
VS
Eric : I didn't get played by Pillman!! We was in on it TOGETHER!!!
I feel like Stunning Steve really broke wide open during the Steamboat feud. You can definitely see the beginnings of “Stone Cold” in mid/late 94. The promos, the scratching and clawing in the ring…
Speaking of Austin being underated around 94, there’s an awesome Japanese match between Austin and Arn Anderson. It was the very first match I ever saw Steve do the honest handshake thing before the match, and clean breaks. It used to be on DailyMotion, but it got scrubbed by NJPW. Really good if you can find it.
It's too bad they didn't call him an inbred and mock him to nothingness. You can't win if you don't mock the competition.
Whenever Bischoff talks about WCW I get the sensation that he is rearranging things he was doing emotionally and somewhat randomly as calculated.
For Sean Waltman it sounds like he was working back n forth with wcw and wwe and wanted to stay with wcw but messed up and signed wwe right after to be on tv in a week.
He probably would've been fired later on and might very missed the wwe/f boat
Pillman’s leaving WCW story is like “The Departed”of Wrestling.
HTM is awesome
im amazed he continues to compare DX to the nWo. DX was a couple guys orginally, not 15 and they weren't trying to run the whole fed and attack everyone in the locker room
I think it has more to do with how each faction was fighting the company, not so much their size and methods. That was ultimately the appeal of each group for most fans at the time afterall.
NO FUCKING CONRAD!!! 👏👏👏👏
Him being fired from WWE in 2019 will always be my favorite.
Brutal
Stop that music
he should have made heenan or okerland the undercover nwo mind
Remember Jason Solomonster spoke on Brian going back to WCW and the IWC swore he was lying.
Solomonster is kind of an A hole, I could see why the IWC would give him crap
@@maddognogood8346 yup
Dont remember Honkeytonk Man in WCW what so ever 😂 I thought Austin was # 1 😂 😂
Super Dave got them numbers in order YEAH
SuperDave working it out maaaaaannn
Sean Waltman is so overrated. He added nothing to nWo. People need to stop glorifying his contribution.
Watching these interviews gave me a whole new respect for Eric .
I hated him in the day .
Now I see he was just a character, too
Aahhaahhah!
I loved Honky Tonk, Hhahaahah!!
When DX hit the ring, My Mates an I went and took a piss, grabbed a fresh set of beers, smoked Our ciggies outside till We heard the bell.
Great show Kids, thanks.
PS: We couldn't stand Him at all, LoL!
The can't separate from a character list would make a good youtube list. Like Yokozuna being a sumo ultimately became the death of him.
I wonder what would have happened if back then we had THIS grizzled veteran Eric running the show.
Turn off the background music.
Love erics businees prowess
Great segment
If Austin stayed in WCW I'm curious if WWE (then WWF) would have done as well.
Is there a version of this without music?
What about The Undertaker or Mark Calaway
Pac was the 6th member of the NdubyaO too of I'm not mistaken.
I’m surprised disco inferno wasn’t on the list. I guess consider him 6th or an honorable mention.
The top 5 should have fired list would be good. And maybe the top 5 performers he regrets signing (too much money, backstage problems, substance issues, couldn't find a role/creative, etc).
To be fair, if he never fired stone cold, he probably would have won the war
In ECW Steve "was able to tap into the Stone Cold character "....😂. I think he meant to say: In Ecw,Steve was able " to steal the Sandman character "
What similarity did they have besides drinking beer?
@aklo5506 Stunning Steve took his whole schtick. Only difference between them is hair.
Now THIS is an Eric vid
Eric is a savage
EZE!
I actually thought Greg Gagne would have been no.1
WHAT IS WITH THE BACKGROUND MUSIC?
Brian Pillman wasn't really a firing on bad terms, it was so he can go out and build his character. He would've been welcomed back to WCW with open arms anytime he wanted.
The problem is he dropped Pillman right in WWF's lap when they were starting to get things rolling again.
Brutus the barber and honky Tonk man
Vader being fired:
This is outrageous!! It's Unfair!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Im going to take a stab that the upcoming Top 5 people he should have fired would include Brutus Beefcake
Raven was a Top 5 guy in ECW. He was only a Top 20 guy in ECW, without being much further down the card. WCW just had so many more people and big names
When he ended up in the WWF, he was still a top 20 guy, bit WAY lower down the card ...
In WCW, Raven was booked somewhere between DDP and Chris Jericho on where he was in the card.
I'm a member 4 Life‼️
4L
Geigh
4 LIFE!
Why would you put background music in on two people talking?
All Tony had to say is “Let me talk to Steve tomorrow. He seemed a bit out of it.” Imagine how history changes if Tony wasn’t so fippant about it.
Just great list loved this bit. Eric does need to consider rasing his monitors that screen glow on his glasses is distracting
Here's something that has never been said..."Man I was really looking forward to that interview with (insert name), he seems super interesting and knowledgeable about a subject I have interest in, but I had to turn it off 2 minutes in because there wasn't any generic rock guitar playing in a loop over him talking."
I like the part where guys got fired
I thought Greg Gagne would have made this list.
13:14 anything to keep shoving gold bum and the huckster week after week
“One of the best decisions I’ve ever made” (letting Steve Austin go)…. He really just said that.
Hindsight being 20/20 if it didn't happen the attitude era may have not been as successful.
🎉whoa, that's a lot😮 of emotionally charged decisions/firings that you'd do all over again!
Pillman totally worked Bischoff into that firing.
Vince was playing that heel character in the USWA in 1992/1993 BEFORE Eric
Yep
I was about to mention that same thing. I'm glad you posted it to let folks know.
Vince briefly shows uo.in some bottom tier outlaw mugshot a few times and gets booed. Marks: "vInCe WaS tHe HeEl bOSs FiRsT!!11"
I don’t even have to look it up, to know someone in Japan did it first lol.
@smac919 Sure they did mark, sure they did. "Lol"
I knew Tonk Man would be on this list somewhere. I thought Jake Roberts would be on here too.
Also, kill the background music, it is annoying trying to hear Bischoff over that.
I think Jake got fired by Bill Watts
Turn down the volume if you dont like the background music. Me? I'm turning it up!
The music isn't even particularly loud either so I don't see why so many people are worked up about it.
Ever notice that erica never takes responsibility for mistakes, he always spins it to try to put himself over, that's one of the things that broke WCW
You must be new here
Wouldn't it be easier to pull waltman aside to fire his manager?
I was thinking Missy Hyatt as #1
Same here. Eric couldn't stand her. She had no talent and was just eye candy.
Interesting
I wish you hadn't fired HTM..but your the boss and i understand...
Context is key
Aww, I was hoping for Greg Gagne!
Respect to Eric for sticking to his guns with Waltman......however I dont buy his "thats a no fly zone" mentality as something he would ALWAYS do. If Scott, Kevin or Hulk (or others) pulled that with their manager, no f'n way Eric sticks to his Ideals and just fires them.
Remember, he loves you guys!
I met Honkey Tonk Man at Mesa East Bowl (bowling alley in Mesa AZ). The guy only wants to hear himself talk, very disappointing.
How in the world is jesse ventura not on the list
I knew number 1 before I even clicked on the video
"Mutual Firing". The first time I have ever heard that. In the working sector, a firing would mean unemployment benefits most times. But a Mutual Firing...🤔
He didn’t fire Stone Cold . He fired Stunning Steve .
People forget just how stuck in the mud Steve was back then . We all used to say he was gonna be big soon and it was not happening . So he lost so much momentum as an up and comer . Getting fired pulled him free .
Why do people insist on playing music when it's not needed!
Honkey has still got ring sting over this one
Sonic youth in the background?
Neither Vince nor Bischoff created the evil Boss in wrestling . Tom Renesto beat them to it by years
6pac also was clearly a play on 2pac, did eric not know this?
sasha banks fell into bad depression when it was hard for her to seperate her gimmick and reality. apparently it happens with alot of top stars who works alot of dates. i read somewhere some wrestlers sometimes forget their real name.
Eric was Honkey Tonk Man a Hulk tax like Brutus????
I personally think Pillman woud have eventually Been WWF Champion
I'm liking most of this new stuff Eric and the crew are doing. If he's got something to say, hop on RUclips and say it.
But the background music... That's gotta go. Learn as ya go. Keep up the good work