Why Eric Bischoff Hopes Former AEW Star CM Punk Realizes 'The Clock Is Ticking'

"There was no happy ending in that story," Eric Bischoff said of CM Punk's snakebit run in All Elite Wrestling. On the latest "83 Weeks," Bischoff pondered CM Punk's financial situation in the wake of his firing from AEW.

"If he's sitting on a pile of cash and he's not financially motivated or doesn't feel the need from a financial perspective to make a move, that's a factor and a variable," Bischoff said, noting that it would be unlikely for Punk to start his own promotion, as the costs of running a promotion properly are prohibitive.

"Unless he's got enough money sitting in the bank where he doesn't have to worry about the next 25 years, at some point, he's gonna wake up ... and you go '[annoyed grunt] I gotta make something happen," Bischoff continued. He said Punk might be rich at the moment, but only has so long left to capitalize on his in-ring career. Bischoff thinks that the only viable option for Punk is WWE or an unlikely return to AEW. Bischoff is also optimistic about WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque's ability to let bygones be bygones in the name of doing business.

"It would all come down to Phil Brooks being able to convince Paul that he's sincere," Bischoff said. He ruled out other promotions like Impact Wrestling or New Japan Pro-Wrestling, as they don't have the financial resources to keep a star like CM Punk happy.

"I would hope –not knowing Phil Brooks at all– that some point soon he recognizes that the clock is ticking," Bischoff warned. "And more than that, recognizes that he's in absolute control of the final chapter of his professional wrestling story."