WWE Hall Of Famer Eric Bischoff was asked on the most recent episode of the “83 Weeks” podcast if there are any similarities between what is going on behind the scenes at AEW and when he was running WCW:
“I mean, in some ways, of course, You know, you’ve got talent who can be emotional at times, and it’s across the board. Some of the biggest names in this industry have been difficult to work with from time to time and there’s always been politics, especially at the top. There’s always been politics because there’s a lot of money involved. There’s livelihoods involved. There’s a lot at stake. So sometimes the emotions can be heightened to the point where they become problematic. So sure, there are parallels in that regard. But I think what’s a little bit different is, number one, the amount of physicality that we’re seeing here. Not to say that there wasn’t, you know, physical confrontations in WCW. I think there were three of them over the course of 30 years in WWE. Yeah, sh*t happens. It’s real life sometimes.”
“But I think, you know, so much physical confrontation during such a short period of time is a little bit different. There’s no parallel there. There’s no precedent there. So that’s where I would probably draw the line because I think things have become a little bit more tense in AEW in a very short period of time. I think the level of physicality and the issues involved and the impact that it has had, stripping CM Punk of the world title. You got the Young Bucks sitting on the sidelines. Kenny Omega is sitting on the sidelines. That’s a pretty significant impact. That just wasn’t an altercation that happened backstage, two guys got into it, got through it, shook hands, put it behind him, and moved on. That’s not what we’re seeing here. I think probably the legal implications have a lot to do with that because it’s a very, I would imagine, complex legal situation that AEW is facing as a result of that. The stakes are very high. How much are they going to pay CM Punk to walk away? It’s a lot of chaos in a short period of time. That’s for sure.”
You can listen to the podcast below:
(h/t to Wrestling News for the transcription)
