WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff, one of the most respected veterans in the pro wrestling business, is well known for his invaluable insights. He has been a vocal critic of AEW for the past few years and recently took aim at Tony Khan for comparing AEW to WCW.
Last year, the former WWE executive called AEW a ‘vanity project.’ In fact, Eric Bischoff even constantly criticized AEW for having poorly crafted storylines and having matches with no meaning behind them whatsoever.
Recently, AEW President Tony Khan claimed that 2024 will be the best year for his company. It is also well-known fact that Tony Khan has constantly compared AEW and WCW in the past.
While speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff criticized Tony Khan for his comparisons of AEW to WCW. Bischoff stated that he’s become accustomed to Khan making ill-advised comments, suggesting Khan isn’t very knowledgeable about the wrestling business or WCW, even if he may be adept at data analytics.
“I’ve gotten so used to Tony Khan saying stupid sh**, because he’s not the brightest bulb in the Christmas tree. He’s just not,” Bischoff began. “He may be really smart when it comes to data analytics — although, I’m even beginning to question that, because he’s clearly not analyzing his own data. I’m sure there’s many things that Tony Khan is intelligent about, but not when it comes to the wrestling business, and certainly not when it comes to WCW.”
The recent episode of AEW Dynamite garnered nearly 700,000 viewers, and over 40,000 tickets have been sold for AEW’s All In pay-per-view. Despite these positive metrics, Bischoff criticized AEW’s weekly show’s ticket sales, noting that the July 10 episode of Dynamite sold only around 4,000 tickets.
Bischoff made it clear he found Khan’s comparisons between AEW and WCW laughable, stating that AEW is not even close to WCW’s status, even during its decline. He laughed off Khan’s attempts to draw parallels, stating that AEW can’t compare to WCW even at its lowest points.
“So, when Tony Khan makes comparisons and tries to compare AEW and Tony Khan’s approach to the business to WCW, I just laugh,” Bischoff scoffed. “When we’re talking about … even ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, and yes, even in 1999, with wheels falling off and flying down the highway and sparks flying and everything else. Tony Khan and AEW aren’t even close to where WCW was when WCW was on its way to the bottom. Don’t legitimately try to compare what you’re doing to even WCW, at one of its lowest points.”
We have also reported AEW talents’ internal reaction to the company’s dwindling live attendance. Regardless, only time will tell if AEW will improve their live attendance enough for Eric Bischoff to stop criticizing them.
What do you think of what Eric Bischoff had to say regarding Tony Khan comparing AEW to WCW? Let us know in the comments section below!