In a recent installment of 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff delved into his experiences working with NBA icon Dennis Rodman during their time together in WCW in the late 1990s.
Rodman’s collaboration with Hulk Hogan within the nWo faction was a defining aspect of his tenure in WCW. Reflecting on how the idea to align Rodman with the nWo came about, Bischoff explained that it was a culmination of organic factors rather than a single person’s brainstorm.
Bischoff acknowledged that Rodman’s persona naturally resonated with the nWo’s renegade image. The basketball legend’s rebellious attitude and independence aligned well with the faction’s ethos. Rodman’s penchant for generating attention and media coverage, often in a controversial manner, made him a fitting addition to the nWo ranks.
While Bischoff couldn’t pinpoint a specific individual responsible for the decision to include Rodman, he recognized that the move made sense on multiple levels. He attributed part of the decision to Hulk Hogan’s astute understanding of the situation. Hogan recognized that tapping into Rodman’s media magnetism could enhance WCW’s visibility and brand perception.
“Oh, I don’t; I don’t know who was the single individual behind that. I think that pretty much evolved organically. I mean, Dennis was nWo before nWo in many respects. I mean, he was a renegade. You know, he was his own man. He had a lot of issues with the NBA as a result of it, with his teams due to his kind of rebellious attitude that fit into the NWA. So I don’t think it was any one person’s idea. “
“I think it just evolved organically. Certainly, Hulk Hogan was an advocate because Hulk is intelligent as f**k and realized that, with the amount of press and attention that Dennis gets, there’s nothing wrong with getting a little piece of that rub. So it just happened. It wasn’t one person that said, Hey, I got an idea. Let’s put it this way. Let’s put Dennis Rodman in the NWA. Brilliant idea. It wasn’t that.
“It was organic as hell. Not sure for sure. It also was, you know, I did the ROI on my head. You know you get $1 million. You look at the impact that it had on television ratings, the impact on the advertising community, the impact on the perception of the WCW brand, and all of the above. Made that million dollars look like chump change. Absolutely.”
Bischoff emphasized that despite the expenditure associated with bringing in a high-profile figure like Rodman, the returns in terms of television ratings, advertising influence, and bolstered brand image justified the investment.
What do you think about the collaboration between Dennis Rodman and WCW’s nWo faction during the late 1990s? Were you a fan of it? Leave a comment below.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7s7XNoKqinJWjsri%2FjZympmdiZX90e49xZmtqX5q%2Fqq%2BMm6Csm5iks6d51KeYm6SVYsGwecidnKesmZvGbrzEq6qopl2nsrS8zqeqopqcmnqnu9Fmm56mnp7Abr7OnaSapqNiu7i7jKKlnKSlqLawuo4%3D