Eric Bischoff's Son Is In TNA

[Mitch Henessey]

Eric Bischoff's son, Garrett, has joined TNA as a referee under the name Jackson James. Garrett was the referee in the main event of TNA Turning Point and appears in a segment on this week's iMPACT.

Word is that Bischoff's son has been training with Brian Knobbs of The Nasty Boys and that his identity had been kept quiet from people in the company. No word yet if they plan to reveal him as Bischoff's son on TV.

Source: Prowrestling.com

Hmmm, this is interesting. Bischoff's son could become the crooked ref for Immortal, or he could just be another ordinary referee. Although, I think it's a lot more likely that he will be an important on-screen character. He's Eric Bischoff's son, and if he's going to be in front of a camera, then you just know he's going to have a significant role.

I don't think Immortal needs anymore members, but again, if Eric Bischoff's son is going to be on camera, then he's surely going to have a role that goes above and beyond the duties of a regular ref. I just hope TNA doesn't plan on having these two wrestle each other some where down the line.

What do you think about this?

 

[Zeven_Zion]

I like the idea of a crooked ref. It's way better to have a heel ref that works for Immortal than some special referee. I remember the WCW/ECW invasion vaguely, but wasn't there some WCW ref ... Neil Patrick or whatever .. who played a similiar role? Correct me if I'm wrong but he'd always screw the WWF guys and help out the WCW/ECW guys. Something like that. I actually hated the guy and every time they assigned him as a ref I'd be real pissed off 'cause he'd keep stopping Rocky from winning

Anyway, if it's something like that -- sure, go nuts.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

As a regular referee I can't agree with his son being a good addition. This is Bischoff's son we are talking about; why watch a match if you know the ref is working for Immortal regardless? It's more than one sided in that aspect.

Now as a special referee deployed to screw over a face when the standard ref is knocked out, I say this is a brilliant move. It's something that isn't used in storyline over and over again. I can get behind Bischoff's son even though it would be pretty WCW-esque. Still would be original and I like originality.

Knowing Bischoff and the limelight it won't be long before he drags his son into the mix. Maybe they will make him an actual competitor I don't know all I am saying is they don't need to rush this bit of an angle; let it progress.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

As a regular referee I can't agree with his son being a good addition. This is Bischoff's son we are talking about; why watch a match if you know the ref is working for Immortal regardless? It's more than one sided in that aspect.

Now as a special referee deployed to screw over a face when the standard ref is knocked out, I say this is a brilliant move. It's something that isn't used in storyline over and over again. I can get behind Bischoff's son even though it would be pretty WCW-esque. Still would be original and I like originality.

Knowing Bischoff and the limelight it won't be long before he drags his son into the mix. Maybe they will make him an actual competitor I don't know all I am saying is they don't need to rush this bit of an angle; let it progress.

Yeah I agree. I mean, have him be a ref. Even if you know he's there to screw the face, that's fine. Isn't that the concept of being a face? Defying the odds?

But as far as that kid wrestling ... I'll pass. I need to re-watch the match and see if he's even build for a wrestler. Hopefully they won't make him wrestle. Besides, Knobbs is training him. Does that mean that they're preparing him to lace them up or to get his ass kicked by faces when they get fed up with him? Hope it's the latter.

 

[Marky-Marc]

I like the idea of a crooked ref. It's way better to have a heel ref that works for Immortal than some special referee. I remember the WCW/ECW invasion vaguely, but wasn't there some WCW ref ... Neil Patrick or whatever .. who played a similiar role? Correct me if I'm wrong but he'd always screw the WWF guys and help out the WCW/ECW guys. Something like that. I actually hated the guy and every time they assigned him as a ref I'd be real pissed off 'cause he'd keep stopping Rocky from winning

Anyway, if it's something like that -- sure, go nuts.

Yes, he was the ref that represented the Alliance in 2001. He was also the ref that joined the NWO in 1998 (but I'm sure that's just a coincidence).

Heel refs don't do anything for me. It takes away from the match, after all, unlike when there's a special referee (whom usually has an emotional sigbificance in the match) hes just a ref. So if that's where they're going, it's just more to show you that Bischoff is just going rehash the entire NWO story, expect Taz to join also, than hernandez will return to form a Latin-Immortals.

But maybe he's just a ref and his identity leaked. All refs need to know how to bump. Maybe Bischoff is just trying to break his son into the business, hopefully

 

[Jimmy King]

The one thing that doesn't make any sense is that he debuted under a different name. If he is really serious about being a referee, they need to think outside the immortal box. Meaning, he needs to think long term. Debuting with a Bischoff name would lead me to believe he would be the crooked ref for immortal and then be gone along with immortal. Him using a different name leads me to believe that this is something Bischoff is serious about. Who knows? I could be wrong.

 

[MarkoMan]

Give Morgan v. Hardy another look. Morgan had the three count, but it wasn't counted. Then he got kicked. I'm not sure if he's already crooked or if that was just a botch in that particular spot, but... yeah.

 

[ABMorales787]

I really don't care for a crocked ref. They never last too long. Eric's son will probably end up a regular ref or doing backstage work. But I doubt he'll really be involved much in the stories. Unless he's gonna be some sort errand boy, there isn't much to do with him, really.

 

[The Y2Champ]

I can pretty much imagine him becoming an On-Screen Character in the future because his last name is Bischoff and thats all he needs.What role is he expected to take is the question.Seeing as he is going to become a referee then I get the feeling for some reason that they are probably going to screw someone out of a title using him I expect and then he will get heat be it for screwing a face out of the title or because they decide to use that storyline and fans want to take it out on this poor sap.I guess we will wait and see how it develops if he is going to be developed.

 

[Sting's Bat]

Hopefully he plays it straight as a ref. I really dont like it when gray characters like security and refs are heels, leave the performing for the wrestlers and managers.


I hated the whole crooked ref thing in WCW with Psycho Sid and I'll hate it now with EB's son if they do it.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

There is precedent for this and I don't think it's what you all think it is...

Around 1990, a certain owners son was a referee called Shane Stevens... he reffed matches at The Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania and Summerslam... it was a long time after that he became an onscreen character under the name McMahon...

Being a ref is a great way to learn the business as you see all aspects close up, you see how the matches are put together, called in the ring (or not as the case may be), how to deal with the ebb and flow and time pressures and most importantly, get used to a crowd...

Remember Bischoff was around when Erik Watts was shoved down everyone's throat in WCW and was the guy who benefitted most when it went wrong, I doubt he'd risk his own kid on that kind of backlash without at least preparing him for life in the ring...

 

[TheBWO]

I can't believe, that after the debacle in WCW that this is the best TNA can come up with. I'm NOT bashing TNA because I watch it and not WWE on a regular basis, however, I can't believe that ANYONE in creative thought that eventually this would be a good idea . If EB is GIVING him a job because he's tired of him sitting on the couch and doesn't want to go to college---that's one thing, , but if it's because the whole Bishoff/Hogan express is bringing the same motley crew of people in (nastys, bishoff, rumors of Beefcake), then Dixie might as well looking into a trade school because she will need something to fall back on once this is left in ruins. Aren't you supposed to learn from your mistakes? That, and the fact that we had the whole Slick Johnson thing BEFORE the HB Express came into town? I think the whole crooked ref is a variable they can do without until they get some sort of creative flow in the angles. There are already too many heels on the show, ......which leads me to believe that it's just a matter of weeks (or PPV's) that Sting and Nash show up, with Angle in tow, to clean things up. I get Russo's ideas and booking.....I just don't think the people watching (these days) have the patience to see it unfold.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I would actually like to see Eric's son being brought to the Immortal stable as the crooked referee but it turns out that he is an impartial referee. That will result in him being kicked out of the stable and later returning as a face. Family feuds always bring in the ratings. Just ask Vince Mcmahon.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

Well, if this is true and he does turn out to be the next crooked ref, at least he's going to learn from the best in Earl Hebner!
I think people need to calm down with the NWO comparisons everytime TNA does something new. Bischoff's son being a ref will not have a knock-on effect with new groups forming, it just means the kid has a job in his dad's company.

 

[Awesome1]

well being in the spot that this kid is in, tna could capitalize on this and have eric's son screw anderson of the gold when he finally gets the shot. or they can leave him be and let him be a normal ref, but personally id rather see anderson get screwed, it would open up opportunities for tna......

 

[flocker]

I have no idea how EB's kid will be as a referee.
What I can't believe is that TNA could not find a better way to spend that money. They just let Raven and Eric Young walk. You cannot convince me that Raven or EY don't have more to offer. Super Eric the Referree, classic. Raven sitting in the corner refusing to do ANYTHING while the match goes on- PRICELESS!

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

I have a few problems with this article:

1. How is his identity within the company being kept quiet if the story broke out all over the internet? If they've been trying to keep it quiet throughout the company, then someone is failing at their job. Not that that's a new thing with TNA. For some reason, every single piece of laundry coming from TNA gets aired out over the internet.

2. I don't understand the point of crooked refs. Didn't we have this problem when the NWO had crooked refs? The matches either become extremely predictable, or the crooked ref turns out not to be crooked after all, and there are successful pins on Immortal members, and it doesn't make any sense.

I don't think Immortal needs anymore members

I honestly think Bischoff believes that the NWO is a constantly winning concept, and that flooding a stable with 10-15+ members is a good idea. If you read his book, he had nothing but good things to say about the NWO, and the only reason the WCW failed was because of executives in Time Warner.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I honestly think Bischoff believes that the NWO is a constantly winning concept, and that flooding a stable with 10-15+ members is a good idea. If you read his book, he had nothing but good things to say about the NWO, and the only reason the WCW failed was because of executives in Time Warner.

The deal that I do not get with having 10-15 man stables is that there are only about 5 titles in each company. So what are the rest of the members in the stable for? I'd be very happy if someone, especially Bischoff, explained this to me. I mean I'm assuming that wrestlers join a stable in order to have successful careers and being in a stable will help them achieve what they would normally not have achieved. So I do not get the point of having a multi man stable.

I've already given my views on Bischoff's son in an earlier post.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Not a fan of the crooked ref concept either. Its fine for Bischoff's son to be referee, but Immortal already has the majority of the company in its pocket. Now they have a crooked ref too? How will any match be called down the middle? Will Earl Hebner run down there and knock out Bischoff's son? That is the only way. It will cause controversy and will give Immortal even more heat, but its been done before. I would like to see one TNA main event match with a clean finish for once.

 

[gd]

I love the smell of nepotism in the morning! Really though, it's not a big deal. Sure, Bischoff's son may not be as great as, say, senior official Rudy Charles, but it's not like refs are that important.

Jackson James (shit name, by the way) will be just fine as a ref. Not a big deal.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

So we've seen what happened at Turning Point between Morgan and Hardy and the whole pin/false kickout mistake. The ref is being played off as a new and "nervous" ref who simply made a rookie mistake. At least that's how Matt Morgan is seeing it and he's blowing it off.

Jackson James, his ref name, as most of you probably know is Garrett Bischoff, son of Eric. That being said, is it really a surprise that he's being featured more than your basic ref? Normally I wouldn't think anything of it but they keep bringing this kid up and I'm starting to think there's something to it.

Back in the nWo days, which I'm sure we all agree to an extent that this is similar, they eventually recruited the ref Nick Patrick. I like this angle looking back at it since it really adds a power play in a way. I remember watching all the nWo matches that Nick Patrick would ref and he'd pretty much let the nWo guys do whatever cheating they wanted. Being that this Immortal angle is supposed to be the same type of takeover, does anyone else see them recruiting this Jackson James and basically using him as the next Nick Patrick?

It's just an interesting angle that kind of popped into my head since they don't often mention refs so much so I just wanna hear your thoughts on it.

Edit:

Man I didn't even notice the thread until mine was moved or I would've commented. Well since it's been a couple weeks since Turning Point and they're still talking about the guy I'd have to think there's a reason for it. I wouldn't be surprised for it to come out at Final Resolution. Yeah Morgan's playing it off as a "rookie mistake" but I think it's just to keep him in the ears of everyone so people know who the hell he is when he eventually turns.

 

[Rasha]

Yeah Morgan's playing it off as a "rookie mistake" but I think it's just to keep him in the ears of everyone so people know who the hell he is when he eventually turns.

Good catch! One of the most consistent things in wrestling is that if something minor keeps getting mentioned, even just a few weeks after, then it's for a reason. Something's going to happen with this kid.

What will be interesting to see if if they actually reveal that he's Bischoff's son. On the one hand, the family connection is great for potential storylines and added drama and intrigue. However, there's also the "WTF?!" factor as it would seem pretty unbelievable that nobody's ever met/seen Eric's son prior to his coming to TNA. I guess you could get away with it with the current roster, but the presence of ant guys like Sting, Nash, or Foley would make it pretty ridiculous.

 

[marker]

I also noticed that they talk about the ref a lot. I'm pretty sure that some storyline is going to come out of this. I wonder what Eric Bischoff is going to do now when Hardy destroyed his son.

 

[LSN80]

I hope to God they stay away from using ANOTHER crooked Ref. They already have one that they constantly remind us pulled a stunt 13 years ago, in Earl Hebner. Every house show report I read notes that Hebner even sports a shirt that says "damn right I screwed Bret", or something to that matter. Then they tried to "recreate" the matter 13 years later with Hebner screwing Angle.

But like you said, he is Bischoff's son. What I believe we'll see is alot of "botched" calls from him, leading to numerous backstage segments between him and Bischoff. If there's a way to get Bischoff on camera, they'll do it.

The other possibility I could see is him playing a role in the Morgan/Hardy match at Final Resolution. I fully expect Morgan to pick Anderson to be his ref. The problem is, Anderson isnt a sanctioned ref, so I see Fortune/Immortal attacking Morgan during the match. Anderson will come to Morgan's defense, or threaten to DQ Hardy, and Morgan won't have it, because he can't win the title that way. Then we'll see Anderson "re-injure" his head, causing them to send out another referee, biscbhoff's son.

He'll "make up" for his mistake by counting 3 for Morgan, but since he wasn't the "official" ref for the match, Bischoff will overturn it, Hardy will get Morgan down, and Anderson will reluctantly count 3. Once again, pushing the referee, and Bischoff, into the spotlight. I dont like it, but I could see it easily playing out that way.

 

[shattered dreams]

I do not see them saying he is Eric's son in a strict kayfabe story because of the why didn't everyone know factor. However, I could see the possibility of a blurred reality story with EB's son playing a Hebner screwjob role. I do not think that is a great idea necessarily because it would be hard to make it not look fake but if they pulled it off correctly it could be pretty cool. I could see him as a ref that just happens to be crooked though. Or maybe the whole thing is just a red herring while Garrett gets his feet wet in the business.