Eric Bischoff Reveals Scrapped Plan to Fake Death in WCW Storyline

Eric Bischoff, during his tenure as WCW president in the 1990s, conceived a bold wrestling storyline where he would fake his own death in a plane crash to enhance the New World Order (NWO) invasion angle. The plan involved Bischoff disappearing while flying near the Grand Canyon or the Mexican border, sparking rumors of a crash and building mystery about his fate, ultimately revealing him as the mastermind behind the NWO. Despite the potential to generate significant buzz and ratings, the idea was rejected by Turner executive Harvey Schiller due to legal risks involving stock manipulation concerns for the publicly traded company. Bischoff acknowledged the compelling nature of the stunt but respected the legal and ethical boundaries. This storyline concept predated Vince McMahon’s infamous limo explosion fake death angle by nearly a decade. Bischoff has since shared insights from his WCW and WWE experiences on his podcast, continuing to discuss wrestling's behind-the-scenes decisions.