Eric Bischoff has been vocal in his criticism of AEW and Tony Khan for years, repeatedly questioning the company’s creative direction. Back in December, during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Bischoff bluntly stated that there was “no hope for AEW” because “no one in AEW knows how to tell a story,” making it impossible to reverse the company’s decline in popularity.
Now, in a recent interview with SHAK Wrestling, Bischoff was asked to name three AEW stars he believes could be in a better position by the end of the year. His response was scathing:
“None of them. That promotion is circling the toilet bowl. And it’s because of the creative. It’s because of the lack of leadership. It’s because of the lack of structure, creative structure, and the lack of vision that. There’s not a chance any one of those talents is going to be any more valuable as an asset 12 months from now than they are today or that they were 12 months ago. It’s the place where your career goes to die. There’s no exceptions to the rule. If you have one, I’d like to hear it, but I don’t think you do.”
Bischoff went on to criticize how AEW has utilized major names such as Mercedes Moné, Adam Copeland, Christian Cage, and Will Ospreay. He dismissed Ospreay as a “bust” who “doesn’t draw money,” and argued that AEW’s focus on athletic wrestling sequences over storytelling is alienating the larger audience.
“If you’re one of the small percentage of the audience that just loves wrestling moves for the sake of wrestling moves, because it looks kind of like the video game you play. You’re happy as hell. The problem is there’s not enough of them to build a business around. And by focusing on that aspect of the product and the talent in it, you’re turning the vast majority of the audience off.”
Bischoff also took aim at AEW’s handling of MJF, stating that AEW somehow managed to “screw up” one of their biggest stars, and criticized Jon Moxley’s Death Riders persona, saying “the only thing that death is riding is the audience away from the product.”
Bischoff’s continued criticisms reflect growing concerns about AEW’s trajectory, and his comments will undoubtedly spark debate among wrestling fans.
