Chad Gable finally named the man he believed was behind the Shorty G gimmick. Eric Bischoff just fired back—and he says fans have been blaming the wrong guy this whole time.
After Chad Gable recently told Cody Rhodes that Bischoff was the one who informed him he was becoming “Shorty G,” the former SmackDown Executive Director addressed the comments on 83 Weeks and immediately redirected the conversation to the person he says actually created the character.
“That was a Vince McMahon idea.”
Bischoff explained that the gimmick came up during one of his regular weekly meetings with McMahon, where the WWE Chairman would often bring him creative ideas for SmackDown.
“I had weekly meetings with Vince… and in one of those meetings Vince said, ‘Hey, I’ve got an idea for Chad Gable,’ and he proceeded to lay out the character. I think he even had some artwork previously done. I’m not 100% if that’s the case…”
Once McMahon presented the concept, Bischoff said his job wasn’t to decide whether it was a good idea. His job was to build it. According to Bischoff, that back-and-forth lasted for weeks before Chad Gable himself became part of the process.
“I immediately went to the marketing department because if you’re going to create a brand, you take the basic idea, go to marketing, describe the personality and the character… The art department goes to work, they come back with two or three ideas, I’d filter through them, take them back to Vince, we’d go through them, I’d take his notes, go back to marketing. That process went back and forth for a couple of weeks… I brought Chad into it a little bit to get his input. Vince liked that. Vince liked the talent engaging and being part of the process.”
That’s why Bischoff isn’t surprised people associate him with the gimmick. After all, he was the one overseeing SmackDown. But he says there’s a big difference between executing an idea and inventing one.
“My fingerprints were definitely on it. It was my show. But it was really a Vince McMahon idea.”
When the host suggested it sounded like Bischoff had simply been the messenger, Bischoff agreed—to a point. Interestingly, Bischoff admitted he never personally viewed Gable the way the character eventually portrayed him.
“More than a messenger. I took the idea and developed it. Like I said, my fingerprints were definitely on it. It’s just that wasn’t my original idea. I didn’t look at Chad Gable and go, ‘Huh, I see him as this underdog collegiate, almost Bob Backlund-type white toast, milk-bread babyface.’ I didn’t see that… That’s kind of what I think Vince saw in Chad… to lean into his collegiate athletic background.”
Of course, hindsight makes this conversation a lot easier. Shorty G quickly became one of the most criticized gimmicks of Gable’s career, and Bischoff isn’t pretending otherwise.
“Obviously the idea didn’t work. It might have been lame to begin with. It’s a subjective thing. I would tend to agree with that, by the way. But what I didn’t get hired to do was vote. I got hired to help execute.”
Bischoff’s comments come just days after Gable said Bischoff was the person who delivered the Shorty G news, while also making it clear he enjoyed working with him and wasn’t trying to personally blame him for the gimmick.
Now, Bischoff has offered his side of the story—and according to him, the trail leads straight back to Vince McMahon.
Who do you think deserves the blame for the Shorty G gimmick? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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