Eric Bischoff Once Vowed To 'Drive A Stake Through The Heart' Of Vince McMahon

The Monday Night War between "WWE Raw" and "WCW Nitro" signaled a turning point in professional wrestling. Former WCW boss Eric Bischoff played no small role in that, when he infamously instructed Tony Schiavone to spoil the pre-taped ending of "Raw" on January 4, 1999 in hopes their ratings would suffer. It had the opposite effect. Mankind went on to defeat "The Rock" for the WWE Championship that night and "Raw" never looked back. Prior to that, Nitro had switched to three hours, much to the dismay of many involved. On the latest edition of "What Happened When," legendary announcer Schiavone elaborated on the mood at the time.

"My view is tainted because I didn't like three hours. None of us did," he said in response to whether or not a three-hour show ultimately hurt their ratings more. "We always, we thought it was too much. So my feeling is 'Yes,' but I'm not an expert on this so I really don't know." One thing that the three-hour show did take a toll on was Schiavone's voice, in his own opinion, with him remarking "God I wish my voice was as good as it was back then." That said, those three-hour programs certainly led to some fireworks during talent meetings, as Schiavone recalled one specific instance where Bischoff vowed to put a violent end to Vince McMahon.

"I remember it like it was yesterday," Schiavone continued, "Eric had a meeting in catering with everybody, and said these words: 'I will not rest until I've driven a stake through the heart of Vince McMahon.' I don't know if he remembers that or even acknowledges that he said that, but there's no doubt in my mind he said it."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "What Happened When" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.