Eric Bischoff Discusses Dean Malenko Leaving WWE

During the latest 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff discussed the departure of Dean Malenko from his producer role in WWE. Malenko quit the company late last month, and Bischoff was not surprised at all by it. Highlights are below:

On if he’s surprised Malenko left WWE: “No, I’m surprised he stayed as long as he did. You know, that’s a grind. I ran into Shane Helms [in] Fort Wayne maybe a couple of weeks ago. I asked him how things were going, he told me he was a producer backstage at WWE. I asked him how was that, and he’s very happy to be there, thrilled to be a part of WWE. But he did mention that those are some long, long days. Dean’s been doing that for a long time. He’s had health issues.”

On Arn Anderson’s WWE departure: “Arn, same thing. Now I know Arn left under different circumstances, but I don’t know how those guys — I mean, those guys are my heroes. To be able to do that fifty-two weeks a year, year after year [for] eighteen or twenty years under the kind of pressure they’re under in WWE is amazing to me. So hats off to both of them.”

On Malenko leaving: “I’m glad Dean’s out. He’s old enough now that he needs to slow down just a little bit and enjoy his life. That’s a young man’s game. It’s a great job if you’re thirty-five or thirty-eight years old, especially if you don’t have a family. But once you get up into your fifties or sixties, to be on the road as a producer in WWE is an amazing, amazing grind. So I’m glad he’s left and I hope he enjoys the rest of his life.”