Eric Bischoff Says AEW Has ‘Too Much Of An Indie Feel To It’

AEW opened their doors and charged through with their own version of professional wrestling. They have tried to do things differently and their hardcore fans have been there for them throughout the entire journey. Those fans are certainly the lifeblood of the company.

All Elite Wrestling’s return to the road was met with a great response as tickets were bought in big numbers. They haven’t sold out any of the three live dates they announced so far, but Friday’s ticket sale launch was successful.

During 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff addressed those fans. He said that AEW caters to the smallest, yet most vocal portion of the pro wrestling audience. Still for him, it feels a bit indie.

“If AEW knowingly, intentionally, by design is writing and producing their shows to appeal to that 10% of the audience that makes 90% of the noise, and it’s working for them, go forth and prosper. Keep doing what you’re doing, if that’s your goal, and it’s working. If you’re growing your audience by doing what you’re doing, continue to grow your audience. I personally feel that the show does cater to the smallest, but loudest percentage of the audience.” 

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“By loudest, I mean vocal on social media and things like that. It does have a little too much of an indie feel to it. It’s not a criticism, it’s a distinction. There’s nothing wrong with indie wrestling. In fact, there’s a lot of it that I really enjoy because it’s the roots. It’s the foundation…There’s a lot of aspects of indie wrestling that I really enjoy, but I think there does, in my humble opinion, that AEW does need to balance with different types of storytelling and characters that have a bigger feel because right now, other than a small handful of people, they kind of all feel the same. 

“Some are way better than others, don’t get me wrong. Some are spectacular. Kenny Omega, example. Young Bucks, example. But, for the most part, they all kind of feel the same, like they’re all cousins. They are so closely related that you can tell they’re all one big family. I think for wrestling to continue to grow, and to grow the audience beyond what it currently is, you need to find those characters that appeal to a different mentality or affinity for the project. I’m not saying they all need to be like WWE characters, but there needs to be a good balance.”

AEW’s quest to break into mainstream conversations is ongoing. Every week they fight to make headlines and generate attention. Unfortunately, they don’t always get headlines for the best reasons.

One thing we can say is that indie companies generally don’t go after fans for posting clips online, especially when they fall well within fair use.

Do you agree with what Eric Bischoff said about AEW? Sound off in the comments!

Thank to Wrestling News for the quote