Why Eric Bischoff Says 'There Isn't Any Hope For AEW' With Tony Khan In Charge
The wrestling world is still resetting itself after trying to figure out Tony Khan's primary motivation for airing the backstage footage showing the minor scuffle between Jack Perry and CM Punk at 2023 All In on "AEW Dynamite" last week. The nearly unanimous takeaway was that it was a bad idea with very little to gain. Former WCW President Eric Bischoff has taken things several steps further, stating with conviction that with Khan at the helm, there's no hope for AEW moving forward.
On the latest episode of "Wise Choices," Bischoff answered a question from a viewer about Khan's decision to air the footage.
"What the f***? I mean, seriously," he pondered aloud. "I'll normally get on here [and I'll try to point out from my perspective], a different approach for 'Dynamite' to take, perhaps a different approach for Tony Khan to take, but I'm at a loss. I don't think there's any hope. I honestly don't think there's any hope for AEW as long as Tony Khan's in charge."
Bischoff claims to understand Khan's perspective, calling it "indy-riffic as hell," and stated that it's perfectly fine if it aligns with Khan's passions and interests. But having a national television contract makes this a whole different ballgame from a business perspective. That, Bischoff says, is what Khan and company don't seem to get.
"If you're on television in the United States and your goal is to grow your audience, if your goal is to secure your position with [your cable partner], then your goal also has to be to grow because if you're not growing, you are indeed dying. It's just a matter of when," he explained.
This isn't working. So what are your options?
AEW has had its share of successes since its inception in 2019, but with every success comes challenges. It's the lows, according to Eric Bischoff, that AEW and Khan have not been able to recognize at the moment and pivot.
"You would think, eventually, [Khan] would wake up in the morning and go, 'You know what? This isn't working.'" Bischoff said. "So what are your options, Tony? Continue to do the things you're doing, which in this case has just been horrible?"
The picture that Bischoff has painted specifically around The Young Bucks, who presented the segment on the show, is also less than promising. He feels they may be in a corner they simply cannot get out of anytime soon now.
"There's been an attempt to turn The Young Bucks heels," Bischoff recognizes. "Even if you were to somehow convince yourself that the creative strategy behind turning The Bucks heel was working, what the f*** were you thinking when you aired the footage from backstage? [That didn't] take anything away from CM Punk. In fact, you made him a freaking hero."
Bischoff has offered some suggested corrective measures that all center around a better understanding of being in the television business and growing the audience.
"In order to cater to a larger audience, you have to understand that audience," he opined. "[In doing that], you're going to be able to predict how the audience is going to react to any one thing. It's not brain surgery, it's just experience. Tony doesn't have that. Tony has no concept of that."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Wise Choices and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.