Why Eric Bischoff Believes WBD-AEW Relationship Isn't As Strong As Some Reports Claim

Former WCW Senior Vice President Eric Bischoff is surprised that AEW hasn't extended their contract with Warner Bros. Discovery, and suggests the absence of a new agreement indicates potential issues within their partnership.

On his "Strictly Business" podcast, the Hall of Famer stated that all is not well between AEW and their broadcast partner, Warner Bros. Discovery, doubling down on his recent criticism of the situation. 

"So I think all of the 'rah-rah AEW, they're worth billions of dollars because they're media rights and sports' [is not true]," Bischoff said. "I'm surprised [the deal hasn't been extended]. It should have been done, and the fact that it's not been done I think is more of a clear indicator about the tentative situation at AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery." 

Recent reports have indicated that the television deal for AEW's three shows, "AEW Dynamite," "AEW Rampage," and "AEW Collision," is set to expire at the end of 2024. Bischoff doesn't believe that AEW and WBD's strong relationship, which the latter touted earlier this year, will matter when it comes to negotiations over a new deal, highlighting how the numbers are more important.

"Despite all the, 'Oh, we have a really good relationship and we're friends and you're so excited about us and they did press releases talking about us,' it all comes down to math," argued Bischoff.

At the recent ROH Final Battle media scrum, AEW President Tony Khan revealed that he's had positive conversations with Warner Bros. Discovery over a new television deal for AEW and he's excited about the future. There's been speculation that Warner Bros. Discovery could be interested in signing a deal with WWE for their "WWE Raw" brand, which Bischoff recently explained could be a better deal for WBD over re-signing AEW.