Eric Bischoff On Ric Flair Attacking Him Backstage At WWE Raw In 2003

Eric Bischoff have given details surrounding a time Ric Flair legitimately punched him repeatedly backstage whilst at a TV taping.

There can be no question that Eric Bischoff is seen as a controversial figure in the wrestling industry by many. During his time as WCW Chairman there were plenty of feathers to be ruffled, but it would seem this continued when he ended up in WWE.

During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Eric Bischoff discussed the time the legendary Ric Flair went for him whilst at a Monday Night Raw taping, whilst he was seemingly keeping himself to himself.

I don’t know what year it was. I had been in WWE for a couple of years. While I was in WWE, the week before the incident I am about to tell you, I showed up to Monday Night Raw, we do TV and Ric is there and Arn Anderson is there. We go out for a beer after the show. Ric says ‘Eric, come on, we will go to the hotel bar, join us.’ So boom, went out to the bar and had a great time, just like old times, right?

The following week, I showed up to Monday Night Raw and am sitting in what they call the TV office. It was like a prop office in case they needed it, but I always used it for a dressing room because nobody else used it. I had the whole place to myself with a couch and a chair. So I’m in there and I am talking to my wife on the phone, it was my wife and my real estate attorney. We were closing on a piece of property. So I am on a 3-way conference call with my attorney and my wife. I am sitting in a chair.

Ric comes walking into the TV office. Arn is behind him and Jonathon Coachman is behind him. I’m talking on the phone, ok cool, it wasn’t my office, it was everybody’s office. I just happened to use it. While I am on the phone, Ric comes over and he just starts yelling and screaming at me, ‘You MF-er! You get up out of your chair.’ I’m talking on the phone, and he just starts firing shots at me, he’s throwing punches at me, connected with me 3 times while I’m on the phone.

Eric Bischoff went on to discuss how he was surprised to still be holding the phone after being punched multiple times, and wonders whether ‘The Nature Boy’ was just too used to pulling his punches.

Here’s the deal. Ric Flair has been throwing working punches for so long, I don’t think he knows how to throw a real punch. I’m not saying that to be funny, or try to be a tough guy, because I’m not. But he hit me 3 times and I still had the phone in my hand. For a minute I thought, ‘Is this a work? Is there a camera? Am I in a scene that nobody told me about?’ Then his lip started bleeding after he hit me for the third time. He was so mad that he bit his own lip and started bleeding all over himself, and I wouldn’t fight him.”

During the interview, Eric Bischoff also trashed CM Punk’s run in AEW, claiming that it wasn’t compelling television.

With thanks to WrestlingNews.Co for the transcription.