Eric Bischoff began his professional career in 1989 as a member of the American Wrestling Association. After a two year run, he became a part of the World Champion Wrestling franchise. Within six years with the franchise, he worked his way up to become president of the franchise. It is during this time that Bischoff began what would become a long reign of controversy in his career. It began with the formation of “The New World Order” and went downhill from there. Some moments were more memorable than others. Here is a list of 10 most controversial things Eric Bischoff has done in wrestling.

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10 The Search For Steve Austin

At one point, Eric Bischoff was given a month to make RAW better or he would find himself unemployed. His bright idea was to locate Stone Cold and entice him back into the franchise. There was bad blood between the two. They’d last communicated prior to Bischoff terminating Steve via Fed-Ex. Yet, the plan worked! Stone Cold returned for a match with his suitor at No Way Out. But very little that Bischoff does is goes off without a hitch. While he was unsuccessful in finding Austin when he traveled to Texas, he did find his way into a bar brawl in the Lonestar state.

9 Hulk Hogan Vs The Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior is considered a legend in the WCW franchise. Bischoff and The Hulkster were buddies. Many people believe that Hulk Hogan had a hand in Bischoff offering The Warrior a contract, in an effort for revenge for his WrestleMania loss. The match didn’t sell well and will be considered one of the most horrific moments in the world of professional wrestling.

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Although time had worked against Warrior in terms of performance, he still drew the crowds in. Debuting him to lose in the match was a bad idea. Perhaps there should have been some other opponents to build up to what Bischoff thought was a big moment.

8 Smooching Stephanie

In 2002, Stephanie McMahon donned a sexy witch costume at the Smackdown Halloween party. The costume put the well-endowed beauty’s assets in plain view. As what Bischoff thought was a clever prank, he dressed as her father and waited in her office.

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The result, an awkward make-out session that will go down in history as one of wrestling creepiest moments. Ironically, Stephanie’s father, Vince McMahon, was at the helm of it all. As the man that signs his check, Eric Bischoff was simply doing what the boss told him to do. Kind of makes you wonder who the more controversial personality was?

7 Hogan Vs Goldberg

In 1998, the match-up between Hulk Hogan and Goldberg was sure to be a moneymaker. Hogan had become a heel that held incomparable power. Goldberg was an unbeaten star on the rise. The formula for the perfect, dollar-drawing collision. Instead of the main event, Bischoff aired the match on an out-of-the-blue Nitro episode.

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Goldberg’s title-winning defeat of Hogan was played off as just another match. His decision to air the fight this way cost the company millions of dollars. In an ideal world, Bischoff would have created a maximum build-up to the meet and aired it as a Pay-Per-View-must see.

6 Unfair To Flair

For years, fans have questioned if any of the onscreen rivalries in wrestling were real. For Eric Bischoff and Ric Flair, it was. Their feud wasn’t just an onscreen thing. In 1998, at Starrcade, a match between the two resulted.

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What's startling is that part of the feud stemmed from Ric’s desire to be supportive of his son’s wrestling career by attending one of his tournaments. Eric has admitted to the fear he felt when he stepped into the ring with “The Nature Boy.” However, he has always upheld Flair’s professionalism, both on and off the camera. In the end, Bischoff defeated Flair.

5 Wedding War

The union of Billy and Chuck flooded the WWE franchise with the press. Same-sex couples were now being represented in the world of wrestling. This was a great accomplishment. Of course, it also set the perfect stage for a storyline. Already controversial, the franchise made the choice to exploit the moment.

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At first, it appears an elderly priest is going to drag the ceremony on forever, until a sudden change in his voice makes it apparent that its Bischoff, in one amazing costume! In the middle of the ceremony, Bischoff gave a three-minute warning to Rosey and Jamal. The duo crash the wedding and a brawl ensues.

4 The Trial

Vince McMahon holds a trial to figure out whether or not Bischoff should remain the General Manager of RAW. Needless to say, McMahon presided over the realistic trial. Coach acted as Bischoff’s legal representation. The prosecutor was none other than Mick Foley.

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No trial is complete without testimony. The witness list included: Stephanie, Maria, and Moolah. However, Vince got some help with the verdict. The audience was surveyed and were completely happy with the idea of terminating Bischoff. He has always claimed that he had never expected his run with the franchise to go for as long as it did.

3 Jacking Jay Leno

Does anyone recall the time that Jay Leno wanted to try his hand at wrestling? He had the audacity to want to do it live, at a Pay-Per-View event! As part of the buildup to the event, Eric Bischoff enlists the help of Hulk Hogan and the duo take over the Tonight Show.

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There was a lot of concern that the heist would look too fake. As a follow-up, a fake Tonight Show set was put together to take on the road for Nitro’s weekly showing. Bischoff even “stole” Leno’s opening speech. The entire thing was a bore to fans and the schtick was canned when executives became concerned at how NBC would respond.

2 The Termination Of Randy Anderson Incident

This was a cold-hearted move, even for one of the most controversial personalities in the business. At Nitro, in 1997, Eric Bischoff invites Randy Anderson and his family to the announcement desk. With wife and children in tow, he gladly obliges. He is then humiliated in front of them as Bischoff terminates him in front of everyone viewing the event. Anderson pleads for his job back. Bischoff proceeds to ask the children their names and directs one to inform Anderson that he is still unemployed. The Turner Office was swamped by fan outrage at how they could allow such treatment of one of its employees.

1 Inviting Vince McMahon To Brawl

During an event in Massachusetts, Bischoff invited Vince McMahon to a fight. Bischoff thought that it was a brilliant idea at the time, and believed in his ability to beat Vince. He’d been beaten before. The worst possible ending would be that he was beaten by Vince on Pay-Per-View, for the world to see. Of course, Mr. McMahon doesn’t show up and Bischoff wins by default. Bischoff was warned that it wasn’t a bright idea because there was a chance that Mr. McMahon wouldn’t accept the invitation. Vince has made it clear over the years that he can brawl with the best of them.

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