On a recent edition of his “Strictly Business” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff critiqued AEW looking to hire a new Vice President for People and Culture, Tony Khan’s style of running the promotion, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On the job listing: “Did he get that idea from watching TikTok? I mean, Vice President of People and Culture? I’ve never heard of that job classification. I’ve heard of Human Resources. I get that. But Vice President of People and Culture. You know, you can’t disagree with the need. There’s obviously a cultural challenge backstage, but that usually [is the] kind of thing falls under human resources. But hey, whatever, you know, try it. Who knows? Maybe it’ll work. Maybe it’ll make a big difference. Maybe it’ll make it a better place to work and be more efficient and be more productive in every way. So, I’m not crapping on it. I just find it woke as f**k, but whatever. Could work.”
On AEW needing someone to help with talent: “Yeah, it’s not the worst idea in the world. But in all fairness, that s**t starts at the top, bro. You know, if there’s going to be classes on leadership, I think Tony should be the first one at that class. Because that’s what this is all about, and this is what it’s been about, it’s — well, a large part of it is creative vision. And look, for the last two years I’ve been critical of the things that I’ve seen from my experience, good and bad, that I’ve called out AEW on. And in the beginning it was like, ‘Oh, you’re just a hater. He’s the old man screaming at the clouds. Oh, Tony wouldn’t give me a job.’ Interestingly, a lot of that critique or criticism or, as AEW trolls would respond, hatred that I got from making some of those — pointing out some of the flaws that I saw on mistakes that I saw were all for the last two years have been going on and on and on and on
“And I predicted two years ago, AEW’s got to grow their audience and they’re not going to do it by programming to the internet and to Twitter. It’s not going to work. Everybody criticized that. ‘Oh, you’re just a hater.’ Well, here we are, 850,000 viewers [on] Dynamite with a loaded roster. A loaded roster. Leadership and vision are the two things that the company needs. And Tony needs to be the first one in the class, to be honest. I don’t mean it to be disrespectful, but it is what it is. You can bring in a Vice President of Culture and People, and a Vice President of Thought Process, and a Vice President of Warm and Fuzzy. You can bring in all kinds of people underneath the leader to try to fix the problem, but it starts at the top. Tony has to participate in that process.”
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In a recent episode of his podcast “Strictly Business,” WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff shared his thoughts on All Elite Wrestling (AEW) hiring a new Vice President for People and Culture, as well as Tony Khan’s style of running the promotion.
Bischoff first discussed the job listing for the Vice President of People and Culture, expressing his surprise at the title. He jokingly questioned if Khan got the idea from watching TikTok and mentioned that he had never heard of such a job classification before. While he acknowledged the need for addressing cultural challenges backstage, Bischoff noted that this responsibility typically falls under human resources. However, he also mentioned that trying out new approaches could potentially make a positive impact on the work environment.
Moving on to AEW’s need for someone to assist with talent management, Bischoff stated that it is not the worst idea. However, he emphasized that leadership plays a crucial role in this aspect. Bischoff suggested that Tony Khan himself should be the first to attend leadership classes, as it is ultimately his creative vision and leadership that will shape the company. He pointed out that he has been critical of AEW’s decisions over the past two years, and many of his concerns have come to fruition. Bischoff specifically highlighted his prediction that AEW needed to grow its audience beyond just the internet and Twitter, which has been proven by the current viewership numbers.
Bischoff stressed that AEW requires strong leadership and vision to address its challenges effectively. While bringing in additional personnel like a Vice President of Culture and People may help, he believes that it all starts with Tony Khan’s active participation in the process. Bischoff did not mean to be disrespectful but emphasized that Khan needs to be involved in improving the company’s direction.
In conclusion, Eric Bischoff shared his thoughts on AEW’s recent developments, including the job listing for a Vice President of People and Culture and the need for leadership in talent management. He emphasized the importance of Tony Khan’s involvement and active participation in addressing the challenges faced by AEW.