Eric Bischoff Explains Why AEW Will Struggle to Run Stadium Show in Australia

Since its inception in 2019, AEW has experienced significant growth, with events like AEW All In making a major impact. Reports suggest that AEW is planning to hold a stadium show in Australia, and Eric Bischoff has weighed in on these reports

As previously reported, AEW is planning a major stadium event in Australia for 2025. The company is evaluating several venues on Australia’s east coast, including Allianz Stadium in Sydney, Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, and Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. It’s believed that entertainment company TEG is backing the event. While the exact date for the show has not yet been confirmed, AEW’s schedule for 2025 is still open.

While speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff talked about AEW’s plan to hold a stadium show in Australia. He’s doubtful about the idea, noting that running a show in Australia is very expensive—about two to three times more costly than in the U.S. He pointed out that Australian wrestling promotions, except for WWE, have struggled a lot in the past 20 years.

 “I’m not saying it can’t happen, but if you look at the success of Australian promotions, setting WWE aside over the last 20 years, and their dismal failures, it’s just, first of all, you have the cost. The expense is astronomical. This is not like running cities venues here in the States. I would say the costs are essentially going to be not three times as high, but damn close. Somewhere between two, two, and a half, and three times as high.”

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Bischoff also mentioned that there’s limited TV coverage and interest in wrestling in Australia, so AEW would mainly depend on hardcore fans who follow the company online. He said that with high inflation in Australia, it would be hard to sell enough tickets at high prices to cover the costs.

”Your expenses are just going to be….there is no television there. There’s very little district. Nobody’s watching the show in Australia. So you’re bringing an American wrestling company that’s on TV in America that nobody really knows about, beyond the hardcore wrestling fans that know about it through the internet. That’s the only place that’s available, and you’re banking on putting 10,000 seats in an arena. And by the way, I was in Australia recently, it’s a very expensive place. Inflation has really, really, you know, we talk about it here in the States and around the world, and yes, it’s an issue everywhere. It’s really an issue in Australia. So to think that you’re going to be able to put 10,000 people, you’re going to convince 10,000 people to part with I don’t know what the ticket prices would look like, but they would have to be really high to help, to even cover expenses. I just think, unless there’s a magic formula somewhere that I can’t see, horrible, wouldn’t do it.”

Bischoff clarified that he wasn’t trying to be negative, just honest. Bischoff expressed doubt about many of AEW’s big announcements, saying they often sound like hype. He noted that despite these announcements, AEW’s viewership is falling, and there’s not much excitement outside of hardcore fans on the internet.

”But it’s exciting, you know? This is not negative, okay? This is just honest. It’s all if you’re going to take it as negative, take it as negative…..I’m not a hater, just honest. So much of what we hear out of Tony Khan and AEW is hype. So much hype, so many big announcements, so many things are going to change the face of wrestling as we know it. It’s just so now that when we hear this kind of AEW is going to Australia, something that represents growth and momentum and success, that’s the perception that announcements like this make. I don’t believe it. I’m cynical. I’m not steadfast to the point where I’m going to say this is absolutely not true. I don’t know what’s true and not true. I don’t have details. I’m not behind the scenes. I’m not involved in conversations. I don’t hear things. I don’t pay attention to the things I do here.

Frankly, I probably hear a lot more than I remember because I don’t pay attention to any of it unless it’s from someone I’m getting information from, someone who I know is credible and doesn’t have a clear agenda. But in this case, all this hype, ‘the big announcements, oh, it’s the most imminent, and oh, it’s this, this is the most important time in AEW history. And oh, we’re going to do a stadium show in Texas, and oh, we’re going to Australia in these major markets to create a bidding war.’ In the meantime, you can’t draw flies. Nobody’s watching your show. Your audience is freefalling. There is no buzz outside of the internet, and the only buzz on the internet is from really, really hardcore, delusional, if I may say AEW.”

Regardless, we will have to wait and see whether AEW will end up getting a stadium show in Australia, as the company is clearly trying to make big moves for next year but Eric Bischoff isn’t convinced.

What do you think of what Eric Bischoff had to say about AEW having difficulties in holding a stadium show in Australia? Sound off in the comments section below!