Eric Bischoff: Rhea Ripley is Destined for Stardom on a Whole New Level

On the latest episode of 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff discussed the ongoing storyline with Rhea Ripley pursuing Liv Morgan’s Women’s World Title, Domnik Mysterio’s involvement, and more. Below are some highlights from the conversation:

“It is [up his alley], from a storytelling perspective. Again, [it’s] well done. They’re paying attention to the details of the story, meaning elements that are required to advance the story when you want it advanced. The story is being structured in a way that gives the maximum control of the audience’s response. And that’s what you hope for. When you can control their emotions, and all the way up until the point where there’s going to be a climax to the story, an ending to it or the next big step, whatever."

“Attention to detail is what’s making it work, and the performance. This is a very — you know, Dom has been here before. This love affair thing or ambiguous relationship thing is a very comfortable zone for him to play in. And this is just taking it to the next level. So it’s great for Dom. I mean, everybody’s winning out of this. Who’s not benefiting from these stories, first with Dom and Rhea and now Liv? Come on, everybody’s winning here. So, how do you not admire that story? In terms of me sitting down as a fan and [saying] ‘Oh, what am I interested in seeing?’ This probably wouldn’t be one of my top things. But as a producer, it would be near, if not at the very top right now, because it’s just story and character work.”

On Ripley Having the Biggest Upside in All of Women’s Wrestling

“In my opinion, she is… She’s magic. And here’s what I know of her. Very limited contact with her. But about a year ago or so, I was contacted by a friend. Not going to drop his name. Big actor, a very well-known actor. He said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a relative [who’s a] Big fan of Rhea Ripley. Any chance you could set up a phone call?’ [I said] ‘Sure.’ It’s not typically something that I do, because I know how much work goes on on the other side of that, whether you’re the talent or the person coordinating it. And it’s just one more thing that you have to worry about and try to manage. So I very rarely if ever ask these favors."

“But I did and, [they said] ‘No problem.’ Got all the assistance I needed. And I put the young man on the phone with Rhea, and I was part of the initial setup in introducing them to each other. And I just listened for a few moments. She is the sweetest person. She is — that little glimpse. And granted, I don’t know — maybe there’s another side to her I don’t know. But the part I was exposed to briefly, however briefly. Because you can tell — I can tell, usually — I can feel sincerity. I can feel somebody who’s grateful for an opportunity to talk to a fan, versus someone who’s doing it because they were asked to. There’s a difference. And in the first 45 seconds of me just listening to them opening up, I was so grateful to her. And it really to me, spoke to the character. I know, it’s a micro glimpse. But I choose to believe that little glimpse of what I was exposed to helps define who this young woman is. Because if I’m even close to being right, she’s going to be a star, a woman star, in a magnitude that we have not seen yet. It may take five years; it may take three. Hell, it could happen next week, I don’t know. But it’ll happen for her. She’s amazingly talented, she got a great look. And I truly believe, at her core, she’s a really, really sweet person. That’s going to work. It’s inevitable. You can’t even fight that.”