Eric Bischoff Applauds WWE Hall Of Famer's Honesty In Vince McMahon Netflix Series

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Netflix's six-part docuseries "Mr. McMahon" has stirred up various emotions since dropping on the streaming service. Showcasing the good, bad, and extremely ugly moments that happened in the ring and behind the curtain during Vince McMahon's tenure with WWE, so many subjects were thoroughly discussed, including Jesse Ventura's plea to unionize before WWE WrestleMania 2 in 1986. 

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For years, WWE icon Hulk Hogan denied he ever told McMahon of Ventura's plans. However, in this docuseries, Hogan came clean and admitted he did. Former WCW Senior Vice President, Eric Bischoff, commented on whether he thought it was the right thing for Hogan to do.

"I was proud of him for being honest," Bischoff said on his "83 Weeks" podcast. "There's no reason not to be. I think from Hulk's perspective, in particular, I don't know that I wouldn't have done the same thing...I would have been a little bit more upfront with everybody about it. I can't say I blame him."

As it stands, pro wrestling has yet to be unionized, so the "Hulkster" and former WWE boss got their wish at the end of the day. However, it seems that Bischoff is on the side of Hogan and McMahon when it comes to this particular matter.

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Unionization in professional wrestling has always been a taboo subject. After Jesse Ventura's attempted efforts were left behind, former independent wrestler David Starr tried revitalizing that same fight in 2019. His voyage caught some mainstream success, including collaborating with the British Actors' Equity Association to form We the Independent. This organization fought for fundamental rights like healthcare and better pay to independent wrestlers. His efforts opened new wounds for Vince McMahon, who ceased booking opportunities for him from Progress Wrestling and Westside Xtreme Wrestling, who WWE sponsored at the time. According to Bischoff, efforts from stars like Ventura and Starr were controversial and maybe not best for business.

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"I'm not a big fan of unions," Bischoff pointed out. "I don't think that's the end-all be-all. There's a lot of advantages in being in a union, but there's a lot of businesses that are no longer around because of being in the union as well. I'm not sure how I feel about it today, to be really fair about it. I don't think that business would have grown to the extent that it is had there been a union involved... I don't know that; it's just an opinion."

Since the quarrels between Hulk Hogan, McMahon, and Ventura, it seems WWE and and the pro-union wrestler have turned over a new leaf, with talks of Ventura inking a WWE Legends contract. Regarding Ventura's relationship with McMahon, he has mentioned the two weren't always so adversarial, even if they didn't always see eye-to-eye. Hogan and Ventura's relationship, however, remains turbulent.

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If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.