Last Monday, PWTorch editor Wade Keller interviewed former WCW President Eric Bischoff an exclusive multi-hour "Torch Talk" interview covering a variety of controversial subjects from the Monday Night War period, his days on WWE TV, his 2006 autobiography, and the "Rise & Fall of WCW" DVD.

The following is the eighth of our daily Q&As to be published here at PWTorch.com, which is unprecedented with our VIP-exclusive "Torch Talk" series.

To both READ and LISTEN to the entire interview, you'll want to become a VIP member, which also includes instant access to our newsmaking multi-hour in-depth hard-hitting "Torch Talks" with other top WCW players such as Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, X-Pac, Vince Russo, Ed Ferrara, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and others (ALL AVAILABLE AT THIS LINK FOR VIP MEMBERS). To subscribe right now and be the first to read the entire Bischoff "Torch Talk" and have VIP-only access to the audio, click here. The first audio segment and transcript installment is now available for VIP members.

We present today's eighth question and answer. Tune in Wednesday at noon Torch Time for the ninth question and answer.

Wade Keller: I don't think there's any doubt you were the top rival he (Vince McMahon) ever had, the most successful rival he ever had. That goes without question. I'm sure it had to bother you a little bit that he continued to frame it as him against Ted Turner as opposed to him against you, because obviously on a week to week basis the things that he did to compete with WCW were the things that you were doing to compete with the WWF, and Ted Turner was far removed. Did you ever think that was a smart strategy on his part even if he knew in his heart it wasn't true? Or did it eat at you a little bit?

Eric Bischoff: That's Vince's revisionist history in marketing and promotion and manipulation of the audience. That's classic Vince McMahon. Ted Turner had no idea what we were doing. Ted Turner from a creative point of view and strategic point of view, he knew the big picture, obviously. He's the one who gave us TNT in prime time and he approved budgets and approved a lot of the things I was doing in order to not only be competitive, but to be in the position I was in for a year and a half or so in dominating the business. Ted had nothing to do with that. And Vince knew that. But Vince would get no sympathy from the audience, which is what he's a master at when he needs to be, whether it was his steroid trial and showing up with his neck brace (laughs) and all that kind of crap, he's a master at it.

He knew if it was "upstart Eric Bischoff who was relatively new in the wrestling business compared to me having been in it for three generations in my family is kicking my ass," people would look at it and go, wow, well then you deserve to get your ass kicked. But if he was able to make it "big bad Ted Turner and all of his billions of dollars and his unfair advantage in the marketplace" is kicking my ass, then it looks like he is the underdog. That's exactly what he was trying to do. I saw that from the very beginning. But the wrestling fans, they bought into it.

Keller: He even did that with Jim Crockett in the early days. He would say, "Well, pro wrestling isn't our competition, the movie industry is or..."

Bischoff: ...Well, he's still doing that.

Keller: It is a real marketing thing to position him that way. I think it's smart. When you were working with him as a character, did you ever get a sense either that he was trying to rub it in your face a little bit in personal interaction or was he quite gracious about how things played out and the things that were said?

MORE LATER ON WEDNESDAY...

CLICK HERE FOR THE MOST RECENT BISCHOFF Q&A SNIPPET

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