On Monday, September 14, 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 latest installment of part four of the exclusive five-hour "Torch Talk" with former WCW President Eric Bischoff. Part 4(b) of our daily Q&As will 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 last question and answer from Part 4(b). Tune in next week for the next series of Q&A's from the Eric Bischoff Torch Talk.

Wade Keller: So you don't remember at that moment that you thought the Fusient deal (to buy WCW) would go through thinking, "I'm gonna blow up what we've been doing and try something radically different"? I mean, you might have tweaked or make somewhat significant changes as you went, but there wasn't something radical like the Kids Wrestling idea in Canada. You weren't going to start a point system and do something totally crazy different?

Eric Bischoff: No, no no no no no no. We weren't going to reinvent the business. You can't totally reinvent the business. It is what it is. Sometimes, keeping it simple and keeping it clutter-free, if you will, is the key to making it really, really good. Sometimes you gimmick it up to the point where the basic elements of why it works are lost. There was never any thought on my part of coming up with a whole new version of professional wrestling. Never. For example, one of the things I do remember specifically because, again, this was more of strategic change than a creative change, was we were going to shut the company down. It had been drug through the mud so long that it was like a wounded animal that just needs to go heal. We were going to shut it down for a period of time - and a significant period of time. It wasn't just going to be a for a week or two weeks or three weeks. We were going to shut it down and completely retool it from the ground up and build some anticipation so that when we did relaunch it actually felt new or at least as close to new as we could make it feel. But we knew that was going to take a period of time. But we knew that that was going to take a period of time and we weren't going to rush it.

Keller: Would there have been nothing on the air or "best of" programs?

Bischoff: There would have been nothing on the air.

Keller: That's risky. But I understand risk-reward.

Bischoff: It had to be risky because to do anything else would have been a compromise, to do anything else would have been convoluted. And that brand had been so damaged and the audience had lost so much faith in it, we couldn't afford to do anything would have been compromised or convoluted. It had to feel fresh, it had to feel strong, it had to feel like it had hope.

Keller: When you and Russo were brought back together as the Dream Team for the big comeback, was there one or two weeks before the relaunch? And when you did relaunch, you turned some character and alliances had just been forgotten. It was quite strange and jarring and not really effective, but I think that shows, too, that you really would have to have taken quite a while off for people to take seriously that this was a new look, a new relaunch.

Bischoff: Absolutely.

MORE TO COME NEXT WEEK WITH THE NEXT PART OF THE SERIES...

CLICK HERE FOR THE MOST RECENT BISCHOFF Q&A SNIPPET

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