Eric Bischoff Respects Vince McMahon More Than Ever In This Way

When Vince McMahon announced his retirement in July under problematic circumstances, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff's initial reaction was not on the creative element of a post-McMahon era, but rather on its stock performance.

In an interview with "Ten Count," Bischoff stated that "for years, every time somebody in the financial markets talked about WWE and its stock – successful as it was – the one thing everybody talked about was Vince McMahon and his age."

However, Bischoff began tracking the ratings and reviewing the creative of the immediate post-McMahon period, singling out the White Rabbit campaign as an example of a strategy to "grow the business or, at least, create interest that didn't otherwise exist." He added that he found a "tremendous" level of interest and growth, which he credited to McMahon.

"I respect him more now, today, from a business perspective," Bischoff said about McMahon. "I want to make that clear. From a business perspective, I respect him more now than I ever have."

Bischoff stated that McMahon built "an infrastructure around him" that enabled a seamless transition to the next generation of corporate leadership which allowed WWE to thrive in his absence, adding that McMahon surrounded himself with professionals who were "really blue-chip" in their respective areas of focus, singling out Nick Khan's arrival at WWE from CAA.

"Nick Khan led to some dramatic changes under Vince McMahon's guidance and approval," Bischoff said. "And all of those changes have amounted to WWE having a higher stock price now I think than they ever have.