Eric Bischoff Reflects On Awesome Kong Being Released From TNA Wrestling

During the latest episode of 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff reflected on Awesome Kong being released from TNA after her infamous altercation backstage with Bubba the Love Sponge and the usage of blood in TNA. Below are the highlights:

On Awesome Kong’s release:

“I was on Awesome Kong’s side. I loved it. I think he’s (Bubba The Love Sponge) just one of the scummiest people on earth. I have nothing but disdain and zero respect. He was one of those guys that was always poking people and he thought he was funny. He thought because he was Bubba The Love Sponge and Howard Stern’s little minion and that he had the weight of the Howard Stern kind of network behind him, that he was some kind of a big time celebrity. And the truth is he wasn’t, but he acted like one, and Bubba’s sense of humor was always just mess with people and people he didn’t know. The first time I met him he started f******* with me and if he hadn’t been a friend of Hulk’s and with Hulk I probably would have reacted a little different. But, I just took it. I didn’t say too much, but he was just an ass and when you see somebody like that and is able to get away with it because most people are pretty civilized no one is going to haul off and knock him out just because he says smart ass stuff even though they want to. Usually he got away with it especially when he’s traveling with Hulk and it’s okay, whatever.

“I don’t know what happened [between Kong and Bubba]. I don’t know what precipitated the incident, at all. All I knew is she went after him and from what I heard I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I heard she pretty much took it to him. If I wouldn’t have already been married I might have married her after that. It was great. She was, truth be known, professionally speaking she was out of line. She should have just walked away. But, she didn’t and I don’t blame her. But she paid the price. She was a little volatile and a little tough to manage backstage from what I’ve heard. I never dealt with her. I had no interaction with her whatsoever other than saying hello and being personable whenever I saw her backstage.”

On the usage of blood in TNA: 

“I was not the booker here. This was a Vince Russo, Dixie thing for the most part. Again, I had influence certainly had influence over the format, which you probably noticed, did notice in the beginning of the show. But in terms of blood or no blood that wasn’t the Eric Bischoff discussion. That was a Dixie, Vince Russo, probably Ric Flair had a lot to do with it. Ric likes to bleed. We all know that. Ric was really intense and threw himself into this opportunity and Ric did what has always worked for Ric. I wasn’t part of a blood, no blood conversation. My views on blood have always been consistent. I’ve never really thought it’s something that should be done frequently. I think it’s something that can be done very, very occasionally at the right moment and maybe can have some added value to the dynamic of a story or presentation, but for the most part I just think it’s distracting in a way exposes the business and I’ve never been a fan of it and I’ve been consistent about that from day one.”