The nWo might still be one of the most iconic factions in pro wrestling history, but its mastermind, Eric Bischoff, isn’t seeing a dime from its continued merch success. Even in 2025, nWo shirts are among WWE’s top sellers—but Bischoff says he’s left completely out of the payday.
On a recent episode of 83 Weeks, Bischoff opened up about the irony of creating the nWo and watching others cash in while he remains empty-handed. He explained that as a Turner Broadcasting executive, he never had ownership rights to the faction’s intellectual property. Setting the record straight, Bischoff explained why he doesn’t earn royalties from nWo merchandise:
“Yeah, that’s, you know, when the original idea—when I came up with it—and was involved in it, I was an employee of Turner Broadcasting. As an employee, especially as an officer, as President, I didn’t get royalties on anything. I got a salary. It was a good salary. I got stock options. I got a lot of other cool s** that talent didn’t get. But I didn’t get royalties.”*
While Scott Hall, Hulk Hogan, and Kevin Nash all scored lucrative WWE deals that included cuts of merch sales, Bischoff stayed behind the scenes. That decision may have cost him long-term.
“And I didn’t go over with Scott and Kevin and Hulk to WWE during the time period we’re talking about. Had I been a part of that group, I would be getting royalties because I would have gone on board and gotten a cut of the nWo merch just like they did. But I wasn’t. I wasn’t a part of it.”
Bischoff added that Kevin Nash isn’t shy about sharing just how much the nWo brand still pays off:
“So I get to sit back and have Kevin tell me each and every time he gets a six-figure check for his nWo merch.”
Despite being the man behind the curtain who launched the revolutionary faction that helped change wrestling in the late ‘90s, Bischoff remains cut off from its financial legacy. Meanwhile, Nash and others continue to profit from a brand that wouldn’t exist without Bischoff’s vision.
Wrestling fans might wear the black and white proudly, but the man who created it? He’s still watching from the sidelines—without a royalty check.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
