Bischoff reflects on Paul “Triple H” Levesque leaving WCW

Eric Bischoff reflected on Paul “Triple H” Levesque’s departure from WCW to WWE, a pivotal move shaped by financial limitations and strategic timing. Levesque’s tenure at WCW was hindered by pay disputes, as Bischoff tightened the promotion’s budget during a period when Levesque joined the roster.

“I really wanted to keep Paul for a variety of reasons, but Paul came along at a really difficult time,” Bischoff said, noting that Levesque’s early WCW salary was around $75,000 per year (approximately $158,000 today). Despite his potential as a top-tier talent, WCW couldn’t match the lucrative deals WWE would later offer its stars, which now range in the millions.

“Around the time that Paul came into WCW, I was focused on saving money and not spending money. I had a very, very limited budget. As much as I wanted to keep Paul, I couldn’t. The budget just wouldn’t sustain it,” Bischoff explained.

Another challenge was logistical. WCW deemed Levesque “geographically undesirable,” as his travel expenses were prohibitive. Unless he relocated to Atlanta, WCW couldn’t offer him a competitive salary. “Contractually, I didn’t have the budget — me, WCW didn’t have the budget,” Bischoff admitted. “As high as Ric Flair was on Paul, and Terry Taylor was on Paul, and a number of other people … we couldn’t really pay [Levesque] what he was looking for.”

Bischoff suggested that while WCW was a stepping stone for Levesque, the financial constraints made his departure inevitable. “WCW was just a stepping stone for Paul, and because I couldn’t really entice him financially, I think it was a foregone conclusion — regardless of how any of us felt about Paul and his potential — he wasn’t long for WCW,” he said.

Levesque’s move to WWE ultimately aligned with historical shifts in the wrestling industry. WCW’s eventual closure in 2001 and its acquisition by WWE solidified Levesque’s role as a wrestling icon and WWE’s current Chief Content Officer. Bischoff acknowledged the serendipity of the situation: “The timing of his departure worked out really, really well and was conducive to Levesque’s current position.”

Bischoff concluded by pondering what might have been if Levesque had stayed with WCW: “Had he stuck around for WCW, what could’ve been? Or could not have been, obviously. But, it worked out in the end.”

Source: 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff