Eric Bischoff recalls receiving the end of the punches performed during a backstage confrontation with Ric Flair – Wrestling Inc.
Eric Bischoff and Ric Flair have had a turbulent history together, at least. In a special extra episode of “83 weeksBischoff spoke about one of the bizarre encounters two WWE Hall of Famers had when Ric Flair attacked Bischoff in his “TV office” prior to a 2003 episode of “WWE Raw”.
According to Bischoff, he used to do a lot of work out of the office set that was used during his time as general manager of “Raw,” and he even came with his own bathroom. “So I’ll snatch it,” Bischoff explained, not just for convenience but because he could get some of his actual TV production work done.
Bischoff explained, “So I’m talking to my wife and my lawyer…we’ve been discussing closing off a piece of property,” and the door opened, and Ric Flair came in, followed by Arn Anderson and [Jonathan Coachman] come as well. The trainer and I were pretty tight, so I didn’t think much of it.” Bischoff says Flair threatened to gouge out Bischoff’s eye, yelling at the former WCW president.
“I think it was a rib,” Bischoff explained, noting that a week before the accident, he had a beer at the Marriott with Rick and Arn. “Now the next week, the same man—I don’t think I said a word to him—is telling me to get up and get up from the chair. He’s so angry he’s bleeding his chin because he bit his lip.” Coachman’s presence, combined with the lack of concern from behind-the-scenes agent Arn Anderson, led Bischoff to believe it was all part of a scene.
I’m getting Punk’d
“All of a sudden Rick starts shooting at me,” Bischoff said. “He hit me three times… kind of. It confused me even more because they were working punches. He connected three times but just barely. Which made me think it was really rib and I’m getting Punk’d.”
Bischoff says he put the phone down and confronted Rick, saying, “I’m not going to fight you.” Bischoff kept telling Rick he wasn’t going to fight him, while Anderson stood there despite it being his job to break up fights. Bischoff says that Sgt. Slaughter and maybe Gerald Briscoe finally came to his rescue and broke up that kind of fight.
Bischoff says he went to Vince to make sure he got out of the storyline and then went on the episode of “WWE Raw” as if nothing had happened.
Flair and Bischoff’s relationship has always been a source of annoyance and confusion for Bischoff, who said he’d be willing to sit face to face with Flair He describes their differences, but wants to refrain from making it a social media spectacle or podcast.
