Eric Bischoff has been a vocal critic of AEW for quite some time, and he didn’t hold back during a recent interview where he expressed that he sees “no hope” for the company’s future. Bischoff appeared as a guest on Ariel Helwani’s show, where he was asked about his thoughts on AEW’s current state. Throughout the conversation, Bischoff shared his blunt perspective, stating that he believes nothing can turn the company around at this point. His comments come as part of a broader critique of AEW’s direction and its ability to sustain long-term growth. Below are some highlights from his appearance (courtesy of 411mania.com):
Eric Bischoff on the current state of AEW:
“Well, they’re horrible. Come on. It’s just — I mean, I’ve given up. You know, I used to get really frustrated with him, because I actually hate seeing people screw up good opportunities. I know what that feels like and I know how hard good opportunities are to come by, so when you see somebody just shooting themselves in the foot day after day, week after week in every possible way, it’s frustrating for me. And I would vent that frustration. Now, it’s just like ‘Yeah, whatever.’ It’s just — it is what it is. There’s no hope for them. Nothing’s going to turn that company around. There’s no light bulb going to go off in anybody’s head and all of a sudden realize, ‘Oh this is how we actually get people to watch TV.’ They have no idea what they’re doing, and they’re too stubborn to learn.”
Eric Bischoff on why he thinks there’s no chance to “turn things around”:
“Because there’s nobody there that knows how to tell the story. There’s nobody there that knows what a story actually is. It’s like — I use this analogy sometimes, because it’s easy to understand. ‘Boy meets Girl. Boy gets Girl. Boy loses Girl. Boy gets Girl back.’ That’s a story. It’s not very compelling, nobody cares. But if Shakespeare gets a hold of it, it’s kind of like a version of Romeo and Juliet. So yeah, you’ll hear the fanbase say, ‘Oh, there’s stories.’ Dave Meltzer says, ‘The problem with AEW is there’s so many stories, people can’t keep up with him.’ I kid you not, he said that… The stories, if there are any, are so bad that only the lowest form of wrestling intellect on the planet finds enjoyment in it.”
“Now you you will find some people, and I think this is cool. If you just like the physical presentation of guys flying all over the place and doing all kinds of athletically amazing stuff. And you don’t care about story, you don’t care about characters? That’s your jam. AEW is your jam. And if that’s what you like, more power to you man. I’m glad you found it. It’s just not viable for the masses. It’s, as Tony calls them, for the sickos. First of all, why would you want to call your fanbase ‘sickos?’ Because the majority of them would prefer not to be called that. Just a hint, Tony; just a hint. But Tony’s vision for that company, I guess, is to provide content for that percentage of the audience that only cares about high risk, high altitude, fast-paced action. And not about story and not about characters.”
Eric Bischoff on if he watches the show at all:
“Occasionally, if I know for example that I’m going to have to cover it for any specific reason. Either on my podcast or, Wise Choice is my YouTube show. But I can’t. I honestly — and I’m not saying this to take shots at them, but I just cannot watch it. I feel dumber by the minute as I watch that show.”
Honestly I think Eric might be right about this.