Eric Bischoff Explains How Real American Freestyle Is Like Taking Over WCW

Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff are officially back in the wrestling business, albeit on the freestyle side. With Real American Freestyle Wrestling set to launch later this summer, the duo are doing everything they can to raise hype for the promotion, and maybe even secure a TV deal along the way. And for Bischoff, as he revealed during an appearance on "The Ariel Helwani Show," this experience reminds him of another opportunity he once had.

"You know, it's a little bit like getting the opportunity to take over WCW," Bischoff said. "Although WCW was around before I got there. But I had the unique opportunity to try and turn that company around and did, which is almost the same thing of what we're doing here. For me, it amounts to the opportunity to build something, and to do something that no one else has ever done."

But beyond getting the opportunity to reinvent the wheel as he did with WCW, Bischoff admitted he was behind the project because of his affinity for freestyle wrestling, which he says he was involved with while in high school and afterward.

"I was never really any good, on my best day I was pretty average," Bischoff said. "But I loved it, and I got to know the people in it, and really respect them for being the individuals they are, and just how tough, how physically demanding and tough these athletes are. So when Hulk gave me a call...it was like 'Wait a minute. You mean you want to know if I'm interested in an opportunity to help build a new sport...to build a new opportunity and create a new professional sports league, something that's never been done before in this category? Oh hell yeah, count me in. And I couldn't be more grateful.'"

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Ariel Helwani Show" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription