Eric Bischoff vs. Vince McMahon - Who's better at playing the 'Boss Heel'?

[jmt225]

Last night during TNA Impact, while Eric Bischoff was calling commentary for the Jeff Jarrett/Mick Foley match, it dawned on me just how brilliant this guy is. I've always known before, but last night it hit me... man, this guy blows McMahon out of the water when it comes to his on-screen persona.

Eric Bischoff is able to be hilarious while insulting babyfaces, while also maintaining to keep his heat and make you want to see him get his ass kicked. Just look at the opening segment from last night for example. The show starts off with Bischoff playing the guitar (quite well, I might add), insulting the fuck out of Jarrett (while actually making a couple of valid points), yet... when Jarrett nailed Bischoff with the guitar, it was beautiful. You were happy to see that happen to Bischoff, because he's such a self-righteous ********, and plays the role absolutely perfectly, without over doing it and making it cheesy, like say Vince McMahon.

You see, Vince tries be a cartoon character, not a legitimate heel. It's to the point now where it's ridiculous. Can he get a laugh out of you every once and a while? Sure, but for me it's not a genuine laugh, but a "Jesus Christ, this shit is fucking ridiculous." type of laugh. Bischoff makes you genuinely laugh. He's like that kid in class, who makes fun of everybody, and as long as it's not about you or one of your closest friends, you're going to laugh. However, if you saw said kid one day get his ass beatdown, you wouldn't mind at all. That's how a comedic heel is supposed to be, and Bischoff is just that, and has been so since he debuted the character in the mid-nineties, and was so when he was GM of Raw as well (he outshined Vince in every promo they had with one another, IMO).

Moreover, when it's time to be serious, Bischoff can play that role too and have it be believable. Can Vince? If so, please show me proof. As a babyface Vince is decent at gaining a little sympathy, but as a heel... when a moment comes when all the jokes are supposed to stop, the guy still acts outlandish. Vince McMahon is simply not this great heel everyone makes him out to be. He had one great run in the late nineties, but that's all he could ever contribute on-screen, if you ask me. Ever since then, he has been terrible, and it's all because he doesn't know how to play a legitimate heel, like Bischoff does.

So, what do you guys think? Do you agree, or am I completely off base? Is Vince McMahon not as bad as I say he is? Is Eric Bischoff not as good as I claim he is? Let me hear it...

Note: Please remember, this has NOTHING to do with behind the scenes/managing stuff; this is all about playing a character on television. My question is who plays their character better, Vince McMahon or Eric Bischoff, not who can run a wrestling company better. So please keep all those arguments for another topic. Thank you.

 

[Thriller Ant]

It's Bischoff and it really isn't that close. McMahon's evil boss character is basically a crazy rich guy in charge of everything and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. This works for short periods, but it's so over the top and ridiculous that he needs some kind of counterweight, such as Stone Cold, to keep the character fresh.

Bischoff on the other hand is an evil mastermind.. He's a dick to people he doesn't like and comes up with creative and borderline tortuous ways to remind them who is in charge. Last night's match between Foley and Jarrett was a perfect example. He made these two good friends wrestle in a match where the loser would have to leave the company. Neither man wanted to lose and be forced to leave, but at the same time they didn't want to kick their friend out of the company. It was a perfect evil move by Bischoff.

Long story short, Bischoff plays an evil boss that you love to hate and makes you cherish every time he suffers in any way. Vince plays an over-the top lunatic who I consider to be much more crazy than evil.

 

[Mufasa]

I thought Vince was really only good at being a true heel when pared against Steve Austin. I think he's still a good character, but I can't really totally hate him. He comes off as crazy more than than a true bad guy.

Eric Bischoff has a natural rat bastard quality about him. You hate him as soon as you see him smile. He doesn't even have to say anything. He doesn't need a strong face to work with either. He can just go out and be himself.

 

[Meaty]

I'd say Mr. McMahon. Eric Bischoff is the better heel, but that's just it: he's a better heel character. If he was a wrestler, he'd likely be one of the best today due to his heelish personality and over aura of being a cunt.

However, this isn't about who's the better heel, it's about who's the better 'Boss Heel'. The problem TNA and Bischoff run into when trying to replicate this persona is that nobody in TNA seems like they are in solid control of the company. But Vince doesn't have that problem as ever since he stepped into a television role, he's been painted as the sole ruler of WWE. For the man with the most control, authority, and power to be that much of a prick just makes you want to see him get his ass beat. But in Bischoff's case, it often seems he has little to no power at all, and is often undermined by the authority of Hogan and Carter. Bischoff is the better heel, but McMahon is better at playing the boss character.

Think of it this way: McMahon is that one fucktard teacher or boss that everyone had, but Bischoff is just your cunt of a classmate or coworker.

 

[Ferbian]

As a boss character, it's definitely Vince McMahon, everything he's done in the past from feuding with Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart.
Every single one of those feuds has been meaningful (Shawn Michaels to a smaller degree than the others because of Stone Cold basically getting completely over feuding with Vince, and the others because of their storied past) and definitely have something special to each one of them.

Besides, when people feud with Vince McMahon, or becomes associated with Vince McMahon as an kind of ally, it gets them over like almost anybody could get over (with exception to Drew McIntyre, and there has certainly been other names, but some of the biggest names of WWE past has been associated or feuded with Vince).

Bischoff on the other hand, he's a great heel, great character, and really fits so very well into the General Manager kind of character, but he simply doesn't work as good as Vince does, because while Bischoff provides entertaining television (Cause you can't deny that the RAW Roulette wasn't awesome!) Bischoff doesn't get wrestlers as much over as Vince has the ability to.

And that is why Vince is a better Boss Heel than Bischoff.

 

[WWEIsLife]

I would say Vince is the Better Heel Boss (not because of my WWE Bias) because like someone said earlier he can get whoever he is Feuding with or whoever he's aligned himself with Over big time. Im not denying Bischoff is a Good Heel when he was in WCW and RAW GM plus he is easy to hate but when it comes to Evil Bossman its definetly Vince. Bischoff's situation in TNA is like WCW when he oversteps his authority someone (like Hogan or Carter) can overrule what he did kinda like JJ Dillion did in WCW. Vince is the Sole authority figure in WWE and not many can overturn a decesion he does.

 

[shattered dreams]

I think these last two posts refer more to the way Vince's character is booked, who can overrule who, instead of how well he brings it to life. The argument about his association getting people over is a much better one. However, that would seem to be about his heel ability, not boss ability, if people are going to try and make that distinction. Vince may have had more success in the role since his company "won," but Bischoff did the role before McMahon. It is a tough call but I think I would chose Bischoff because he can nail that serious side of being a prick better than McMahon.

 

[Jeffingb3oh3]

In my opinion, it would have to be Eric Bischoff. He has always played the role of a heel leader better than anybody else in the entire history of professional wrestling, with maybe the only exception being Stephanie Mchmahon. He always knows the right things to say, and always knows how to get the people that he works with over, and he has created some of the biggest wrestlers, there have ever been before. He's always at the right place, at the same time, and no matter what can back his cockiness up, with his actions. So, it would have to absoutely hands down be Eric Bicshoff.

 

[Reddannihilation]

Bischoff is better. Take away McMahon's feud with Austin and he's pretty much laughable in everyother attempt he's made to be a heel. He's just too over the top at times, Bischoff has a sense of reality to himself, people have had bosses like Bischoff whereas McMahon is too much of a character to take seriously.