Eric Bischoff Thriving in New Career

“Similarly to the way I got involved in the wrestling business, it was very much a coincidence.”

Last month, Eric Bischoff raised a glass in honor of the 29-year anniversary of the NWO.

Today, he continues to build a whole new career.

The longtime wrestling persona and architect of the industry-changing NWO, Bischoff is now a mortgage loan officer. He has been licensed for the past three years, and his work allows him to reconnect with wrestling fans in a more personal manner.

“Wrestling comes up quite a bit on my calls,” said Bischoff. “It’s almost allowed me to extend my wrestling career.”

Plenty of footage already exists on Bischoff’s highlight reel. The former President of WCW enjoyed a memorable on-screen role in the NWO. His success carried over to WWE, where he was able to interact on the air with Vince McMahon, a notion that seemed implausible during the height of the “Monday Night Wars”. He had other runs, primarily in TNA, that never reached the same level, but he has remained a presence in wrestling since the 1990s.

Bischoff was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021 / WWE

Bischoff, 69, is now adding a new piece to his repertoire. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say it happened by accident, but that is the beauty behind Bischoff’s success. His entrepreneurial drive has prepared him for new adventures–the latest of which was one engineered by Conrad Thompson.

For the past two decades, Thompson has made his living in the mortgage industry. He assembled a talented team and built his Save with Conrad company into a driving force. Yet it was Thompson’s foray into pro wrestling–primarily through his podcasts–that placed the brightest spotlight on his company.

Those two worlds merged when Thompson added Bischoff to his podcast series with their 83 Weeks show.

“Eric knew that I did mortgages, and he was looking to do a refinance,” said Thompson. “We took a stab at it, came up with a plan, and found a way to help him, as he puts it, change his life.

“When we’d do the podcast together, he would heap praise on me for saving him a boatload of money. That’s when Eric became enamored with the idea of helping people in a similar way.”

Four years ago, Thompson and his wife threw a Christmas party for their podcast team. That led to a discussion with Bischoff about the refinance, and the conversation took an unexpected turn.

“Eric said to me, ‘What if I did it?’” said Thompson. “I was surprised. There’s a class involved, a test you need to pass that has a high failure rate, and a lot of people give up when they realize what it entails. To my surprise, Eric took the class on his own, scheduled the test, and got licensed. He didn’t want anyone to know; he just wanted to learn. I think he loved the idea of helping people. It’s been a way for him to give back to wrestling fans, too.”

Thompson hired Bischoff as a mortgage loan officer, where he has won over his colleagues with a passionate, enthusiastic approach.

“He doesn’t need this to pay the bills, he’s doing it because he wants to,” said Thompson. “I know he played a bad guy on TV, but that was TV. This is real-life. And the real-life Eric Bischoff is hungry and motivated to help people.“

Eric Bischoff and Rick Rude / WWE

Bischoff has always embraced the chance to work. Growing up in Michigan, he watched as his parents provided for their family. His father was paralyzed in the early 60’s, so his mother helped carry the financial load.

“That was devastating to my dad’s pride, especially at that time when a lot of wives did not work,” said Bischoff. “My mom worked exceptionally hard. That was the environment I grew up in until I was 17. When people think of me as an ‘office guy’, that’s only been a small portion of my life.

“Right from my early years in lower middle-class Detroit, my whole life has been blue collar, and I don’t think I’ve changed too much in that regard. I just gained a wider scope of experience.”

Sixty years ago, a nine-year-old Bischoff was hired for his first job. He did odd jobs at the locally owned corner store, where his pay was reaching into the cash register with one hand and grabbing as many coins as he could.

“From an early age, work motivated me,” said Bischoff. “It inspired me–you put in the work, you get paid.”

Scott Hall and Eric Bischoff / WWE

His work ethic and determination brought him places he’d never envisioned, including the top of World Championship Wrestling. He did the unthinkable in 1994 when he helped lure WWE staple Hulk Hogan to wrestle for WCW.

After their success together in WCW, Hogan and Bischoff will always be linked.

“Eric won me over a long time ago,” said Hogan. “When you go back and look at it, there was a time in my life when I wanted very little to do with wrestling due to the whole steroid trial in the 90’s. Eric was the one who made me realize I wasn’t done yet. He was genuine and real since the time I met him, and he’s someone I really value as a friend.”

Hogan and Bischoff will forever be connected through the NWO / WWE

The two remain close, and Hogan has followed Bischoff’s success.

“Eric is a deal-maker, and he’s creative,” said Hogan. “So as far as the mortgage broker business goes, it makes sense. He’ll creatively structure a deal for people that is fair for everyone, especially in this economy. He’s very spiritual, he’s a good man, and I’m very proud to say he’s a friend of mine.”

The people who Bischoff is seeking to reach are ones he knows well. The Save With Conrad ads play throughout his podcast network to connect with wrestling fans, an audience that knows Bischoff extremely well.

“Similarly to the way I got involved in the wrestling business, it was very much a coincidence,” said Bischoff. “After spending 25 years on the road, I made up my mind that I wanted to spend more time at home. Getting into the mortgage industry also allows me to help people, and I don’t have to travel far to do it.”

Working out of an office at his home in Wyoming, the WWE Hall of Famer is reconnecting with his wrestling roots in a grassroots manner.

“It’s wrestling fans responding to Conrad’s advertisements, and if a wrestling fan is calling about a new home or a refinance, they’re familiar with me,” said Bischoff. “They’re excited to get a call from me. I’m excited to help them. If I can save someone money every month just by seeing the bigger financial picture, that’s extremely rewarding. It’s made a very profound impression on me.”

Always looking forward, Bischoff is eager to make a new impact on people–this time in the mortgage field.

“Put yourself in my shoes,” said Bischoff. “I’m cold-calling someone about their mortgage, and they’re already excited to speak. Then the process begins of trying to help them achieve their goals. That’s not work, that’s a joy. That’s an honor, and that makes it so easy to put in the work.”