Eric Bischoff Slams AEW for Lack of Storytelling in Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness Match

Eric Bischoff isn’t holding back when it comes to AEW’s storytelling, and he made that crystal clear during the latest episode of 83 Weeks.

Taking aim at the build-up, or lack thereof, for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship match between Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness at Dynamite: Grand Slam, Bischoff pointed out a glaring flaw in AEW’s creative approach.

The former WCW President expressed his disappointment with how AEW failed to set up a compelling backstory leading into such a high-profile bout. Bischoff said bluntly, “I’m just like 99.999% of the country who didn’t have any freaking clue, nor did we learn about it on Dynamite in the days and weeks leading up to this event.” Bischoff highlighted that unless you were a die-hard Ring of Honor fan, you’d have no idea why the match was even significant.

What’s even more frustrating, according to Bischoff, is that this lack of narrative failed to give fans a reason to emotionally invest in the match. “It’s a shame that as great a shape as [Nigel] is in, as great of an opportunity this is for Nigel, there’s absolutely no story going into it,” Bischoff added, calling the situation “lame as [f**k].” The wrestling veteran believes that AEW missed a big opportunity by not crafting a strong storyline to hype this clash.

With many fans already voicing similar concerns about AEW’s handling of major storylines, Bischoff’s take has sparked a fresh wave of debate. Does AEW need to rethink how they build narratives for key matches? Only time will tell.