Eric Bischoff is one busy guy. Not only does he currently serve as the RAW General Manager, but the former head of WCW has several irons in the fire that soak up what little spare time he has. WWE.com caught up with Bischoff to get his thoughts on his first month in the company, his Madison Square Garden debut and his numerous projects outside of sports-entertainment.
WWE.com: So hows your first month with WWE been?
Bischoff: Its been great. Its nice to be performing again. I love the energy of creating emotion and watching the emotion that weve created, so its been a great time. Everyones been very professional. I really cant say enough good things about it.
WWE.com: Have you been getting more into the creative process or are you still just an on-air character?
Bischoff: Not really. Theres very creative people here. Theres a great staff here. Ive had a few ideas like all the characters here and like everyone, were all encouraged to contribute ideas about their character. Ive had a few ideas and Ive thrown them out, but for the most part Ive tried to concentrate on taking the direction thats laid out for me. So far its been great.
WWE.com: Is there anything that WWE does different compared to WCW that really stands out for you?
Bischoff: Well theres a lot of things, primarily the thing that strikes me most frequently is the organization itself, particularly on the production side. Theres a great staff of people a great infrastructure of talented and experienced people who really know what theyre doing. It becomes so obvious when youre doing two or three days of production back to back with a Pay-Per-View on Sunday, RAW and SmackDown! thats a lot of television. To do that much of television in such a short period of time takes really talented people. It becomes real obvious when you have them and equally obvious when you dont.
WWE.com: Are you excited about being in MSG for the first time?
Bischoff: Yeah. You know, I was just sitting here thinking about that and you really cant help it. You walk up and down the halls here and you see all the pictures of people who have played here in the past: Elvis Presley, Sammy Davis Jr., Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, the list goes on and on. Ali-Frazier probably stands out in my mind much more than just about anything just because Im such an Ali fan. Just being in the same building and sharing some of the same rooms, its an amazing feeling for somebody who really appreciates history and I do.
WWE.com: Youre involved in getting a reality-based martial arts TV show off the ground. What can you tell us about that?
Bischoff: Well hopefully youll be reading more about it in the weeks to come. Its a project Ive been working on for a little over a year with Mark Burnett, whos the creator/producer of Survivor. Its a show thats essentially Enter the Dragon and Mortal Combat, thats probably the best way to describe it. Hopefully it will land on a network home by the end of August, start of September 2003.
WWE.com: What is your own martial arts background?
Bischoff: I started training informally when I was 14 in Pennsylvania. I started formal training when I was about 20, 21 years old in Minneapolis. I got my black belt (in Karate) in 1979, competed as an amateur for a couple of years. I was on ESPN a few times in the old PKA, which some people might remember. I turned pro, had a couple pro fights and decided that really wasnt a great way to make a living and then pretty much got out of the sport around 1980-81. I trained under a group of guys in Minneapolis who were known then as Mid-America Karate and later went on to become the National Karate Centers and USA Karate schools when they split.
WWE.com: Any other outside projects that youre working on?
Bischoff: Yeah, I have a lot of them actually. Im working with the Indy Racing League to develop ideas for some shows for them which is exciting since Im a big race fan and a fan of motorsports in general. Im working on another network show. The deal has closed but at this point its confidential until we mutually release the information, which will probably happen in the next 10 days. Its on a cable network and its very exciting.
WWE.com: How do you find time to do all this stuff?
Bischoff: I work a lot and I always have. I enjoy working. Its creating, its a challenge, its stimulating for me. I dont play golf, I dont socialize much. Other than spending time with my family, theres probably not much I could do other than keep working and creating. Work is my way of relaxing.
WWE.com: What did you think of SummerSlam?
Bischoff: I thought it was great. Every Pay-Per-View has its own personality because of the opportunities and challenges they bring. The Nassau Coliseum is a tough crowd. Theres not much they havent seen. To see two matches and all the matches were great that were that big, that created that much emotion for an extended period of time is a work of art. Its a beautiful thing to watch. I spend as much time watching the people in the audience as I do watching the matches because thats how I judge in many ways whats really working. Those people were on their feet and on an emotional roller coaster. Like I said, its a work of art.
Look for an exclusive, hard-hitting interview with Eric Bischoff in the October issue of Raw Magazine, on sale soon! Be sure your get your copy! Click here to subscribe to Raw Magazine!
Tim Hartung and Brock Lesnar were roommates and wrestling teammates at the University of Minnesota. Hartung was an NCAA champion both as a junior and senior (1998 and 1999). Lesnar was an NCAA champion as a senior (2000).
There was a major moment for both in their postcollegiate wrestling careers Sunday. For Hartung, it was the sad confirmation there would be no final reward for another grinding year in wrestling rooms. For Lesnar, it was the culmination of a rapid ascent to superstardom and prosperity in World Wrestling Entertainment.
Hartung was the 211-pounder on the seven-member team that was supposed to represent the United States in the World Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 5-7.
The wrestlers had gone through a final two-week camp in Colorado Springs. Hartung returned to the Twin Cities on Friday morning. He went to his parents' home in Durand, Wis. Tim's mother Midge washed his clothes and he packed for the trip.
The freestyle team was scheduled to leave for Germany -- and some pretournament training -- Monday.
A coach called Hartung on Saturday morning and said he had to be on a conference call with other team members. The call also included coaches, USA Wrestling decisionmakers and representatives from the state department.
The wrestlers were told direct threats had been made that U.S. team members would be harmed if they went to Tehran. There were hints the information came from sources in Afghanistan.
"Some of us tried to press the State Department people on the source of the threat . . . how serious it should be taken," Hartung said. "The response was, 'We're telling you what we can tell you, and we're advising that you not go.'
"A couple of the veterans on the team have wives and kids. They were saying, 'I don't think I'll be going.' The people from USA Wrestling were saying they would vote against us going.
"You would like to argue, but what can you say? The truth is, you get over in a country like that, you're by yourself with a few coaches, and if someone wants to get you, they can probably get you."
Hartung's melancholy weekend was enlivened Sunday night when the 310-pound Lesnar was elevated to the WWE's championship by defeating The Rock on the "Summer Slam" pay-per-view event.
"Brock told me a while back that it was worth $1.2 million annually once you get the belt," Hartung said.
Lesnar lives in Minneapolis. When he's home, he takes his wrestling buddies to a Timber Lodge with some frequency. "The cooks get busy when they see us walk in the door," Hartung said.
Hartung's first attempts to make the U.S. national team after college were at 185 pounds. Staying close to that weight was a struggle. Hartung moved up to 211 pounds for the 2001 season and finished fourth in the U.S. Open championships.
"You want to carry 218 pounds, and then cut down for competition," Hartung said. "I was a little light for 211 last year. I'm bigger now, and carrying the 218, 219 I want to carry."
Hartung was the 211-pound champion in this spring's national open. He defended his No. 1 standing by winning the U.S. World Team Trials two months in St. Paul.
Hartung and several other former Gopher standouts wrestle under the name "Minnesota Storm." Gordie Morgan, the brother of Gophers' assistant Marty Morgan, became the team's coach this year. Hartung said Gordie's program -- seven weeks of full workouts leading to big meets, followed by two weeks off -- allowed him to move past the other 211-pounders.
Hartung was near the end of a seven-week cycle for Tehran. And then came a threat the State Department said should be taken seriously.
This provided more than an emotional void. USA Wrestling pays for medals in the World Championships. Former Gopher Brandon Eggum received $20,000 for a silver last year -- and Hartung was a definite medal contender for Tehran.
"You win the Open, you win the trials, you keep going all summer long, and then you don't get the benefits," Hartung said. "All it means is I'm the 211-pounder on the national team until next year's Open. Then, it all starts again."
Hartung paused, then said: "This doesn't change the ultimate goal. I'm pointed at the 2004 Olympics. If I'm in Athens in two years, this disappointment will be forgotten."
