In a candid interview, Eric Bischoff did not hold back his criticism of AEW, firmly stating that there is “no hope” for the promotion led by Tony Khan.
Bischoff shared his thoughts on the Ariel Helwani’s show, when queried about the current status of AEW.
See below for some notable insights from the podcast:
Regarding the status of AEW: “Honestly, it’s pretty bad. It reached a point where it frustrated me, given the number of good opportunities they botch. Understanding how rare these opportunities are, it’s disheartening to see them make blunders repeatedly. Now, I’ve adopted a laid-back attitude. Simply put, there is no hope for them. Nobody is illuminated enough to bring in viewers. They seem to lack basic understanding and are too headstrong to learn.”
On why he believes an nWo-like plot won’t “turn things around”: “The lack of a good storyteller is evident. They seem unfamiliar with the concept of a storyline. I usually compare it to a basic story of ‘Boy meets Girl. Boy gets Girl. Boy loses Girl. Boy gets Girl back.’ It’s far from engaging, but if Shakespeare wrote it, he’d craft a masterpiece like Romeo and Juliet. Conversely, according to Dave Meltzer, AEW’s problem is informative overload; too many intricate plotlines. These, at best, entertain the minimalistic wrestling intellect.
“There exists a portion of the audience that prefers athletic feats over storylines and character development. If that’s your preference, AEW is your go-to. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. However, it can’t appeal to the wider audience. Khan’s vision for the company appears to be creating content for fans interested in high-risk, high-energy action, dismissing the importance of narratives and characters.”
On whether he watches the program: “Rarely, unless I need to review it for my podcast or my YouTube show, Wise Choice. Honestly, I find it difficult to sit through an episode without feeling intellectually depleted.”