Eric Bischoff Compares His Approach To Wrestling To WWE Hall Of Famer Paul Heyman

Two of the most renowned and celebrated commentators and on-screen figures in professional history are former ECW boss Paul Heyman and former WCW boss Eric Bischoff, both of whom ran wrestling promotions that arguably changed the industry. While WCW and ECW were considered rivals in professional wrestling throughout the 90s, they two have held rather favorable opinions of each other's work in recent years. On a recent episode of "83 Weeks," Bischoff discussed how his approach to wrestling was always similar to Heyman's.

"Heyman, whether he knew it or not, approached the business in a very similar fashion that I did, which is, 'You can't compete with WWE... how can I be different?" said Bischoff. "[ECW] showcased amazing talent that people weren't already familiar with."

Bischoff had a similar desire to showcase talent that was unfamiliar to most wrestling audiences in the WCW days. This came in the form of a Cruiserweight Division, which was crucial in separating WCW from WWF and maintaining strong ratings, saying the nine o'clock hour was "just as important as the main event" of the show,

"We needed something that looked and felt different... something that was faster paced," Bischoff explained. While the term Cruiserweight was popularized by Bischoff and WCW, Bischoff gave Heyman credit for having smaller-size wrestlers on television before him in the form of Luchadors.

"I wasn't the first person to use Luchadors on television," said Bischoff. "I'm going to give that nod to Paul Heyman. Paul Heyman was using Rey Mysterio before I did."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "83 Weeks" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.