"He's a tough kid" - Eric Bischoff issues sincere statement following retirement of two-time Hall of Famer

Eric Bischoff has worked with countless legends and pro wrestling greats over the years. The polarizing figure had a Hall of Fame career and remains relevant in retirement. Bischoff is now opening up on another veteran who just hung his boots up.

Homicide has officially retired. The veteran star hit the 30-year mark on his career earlier this month after working with Ring of Honor, TNA Wrestling, Dragon Gate USA, NJPW, the NWA, and even AEW, among others. The 2022 Indie Wrestling Hall of Famer and 2016 JAPW Hall of Famer celebrated his 48th birthday and the end of his career on Thursday at Outlaw Wrestling's End Of An Era event in Brooklyn. The main event saw Homicide and Bull James defeat Afa Jr. and Mike Santana.

According to Eric Bischoff, the Notorious 187 is a top talent and a joy to work with. The former WCW boss recently discussed Homicide's retirement with co-host Conrad Thompson in his 83 Weeks podcast. The former RAW General was asked if this really is the end of the NYC native's in-ring career and if that means Homicide will go down as one of wrestling's biggest "What Ifs?" of all time. The veteran recalled their time together in TNA.

"I think so. I had a chance to work with Homicide for a bit in TNA, and he's extremely talented, a joy to work with, couldn't be more cooperative, when he turned it on in the ring, he was special. So, yeah, sorry to hear that. Anybody that experiences a health issue that becomes a crisis at one level or another, that's horrible. It's really, really bad, scary, it disrupts your life in so many ways, sometimes your career, stress on the family. It's a bad, bad situation for anybody, and then for a performer, a professional wrestler or athlete especially," Eric Bischoff said. [From 5:50 to 6:47]

Eric Bischoff continued:

"When that's taken away from you, so is the career, and in many respects, part of your identity, because it becomes who you are as a professional wrestler. It had to or you wouldn't be able to get through it, you sacrifice a lot, it's such a big part of your life that all of a sudden you're going to lose your health, status, at least for a period. It's hard enough to walk away from the limelight, whether it's a rock & roll or Broadway stage, Hollywood set, or wrestling ring... when you get hooked on that performance drug, and it's taken away abruptly, not by choice, that hurts. So, a lot of empathy for Homicide. He's a tough guy, and I wish him the best. Godspeed." [From 5:50 to 7:53]

Homicide last wrestled for TNA in August 2014, and Bischoff was actively working backstage until October 2013. It appears Cide's last match while Bischoff was working came at Destination X 2013, where he and Petey Williams lost an X-Division qualifier to Sonjay Dutt.

Eric Bischoff speaks on great wrestling markets

Eric Bischoff is arguably one of the greatest wrestling promoters of the modern era, if not all-time. The former WCW executive was recently asked on X/Twitter about the best city in America for the sport and what he thinks about Chicago.

Bischoff gave a nod to Madison Square Garden in NYC, The Cow Palace in San Francisco, Chicago, and Montreal.

"Agree that Chicago is a GREAT wrestling market. Tough to call the best. MSG is the mecca. I always loved the Cow Palace. Each market has its own personality. Montreal? Definitely on the ballot," Eric Bischoff wrote.

The Cow Palace sits on the border between San Francisco and Daly City in California. The indoor arena opened in 1941 and was a key location for wrestling, boxing, and hockey, among others. Roy Shire sold out The Cow Palace often from 1961-1981, then WCW and WWE hosted notable shows there for years, while AEW ran the arena on two nights in March 2023.

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