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Since its establishment in 2019, AEW quickly positioned itself as a legitimate alternative to WWE, something that hadn't been seen in the wrestling world for decades. This sparked a competitive atmosphere between the two promotions, although the rivalry has been anything but cordial. Fans of both promotions often find themselves divided, with tribalism becoming a common theme as they pick sides.
AEW itself has also thrown subtle jabs at WWE through its television programming. Despite this, not everyone believes AEW is on the same level as WWE just yet. On his podcast " 83 Weeks ," former WCW president Eric Bischoff expressed skepticism about AEW’s current standing in the wrestling industry.
He stated that AEW is still in its early stages and not yet a fully developed product capable of competing with WWE. Bischoff also suggested that AEW President Tony Khan should show gratitude toward WWE for shaping the professional wrestling landscape, rather than attempting to challenge them directly. ERIC BISCHOFF *LIVE* | REACTION to TONY KHAN's TWITTER DISS! "I just think it's too soon.
The product is not developed yet. The brand has yet to be developed. Until they stop losing audience, I wouldn't try to make any comparisons at all to WWE," Bischoff said.
"If I was Tony Khan right now, I would be putting WWE over and thanking them for being the catalyst for so much growth in the wrestling space. Literally, I'd be putting them over and endearing myself to their fans, as opposed to challenging them to try my product and perhaps hope that you'll find it a better product, they're just not ready for that yet." Bischoff further commented on the comparisons between AEW and WCW, a topic that Tony Khan has brought up in the past.
Bischoff laughed at the notion that AEW could be in the same league as WCW, even during WCW's decline. He pointed out that AEW still has a long way to go before reaching the heights WCW once did, and that it's premature to compare the two companies. Also read: "I Heard The Entire Show Just Got Ripped In Half": WWE Superstar Reflects On His Frustrations With Last-Minute Script Changes During Vince McMahon's Tenure Why Eric Bischoff Finds Tony Khan's Comparisons Between AEW and WCW Ridiculous Why AEW & Eric Bischoff HATE Each Other Tony Khan is confident that 2024 will be AEW's "best year" so far, but Eric Bischoff strongly disagrees with that optimism.
On the latest episode of his podcast "83 Weeks," the former WCW executive criticized Khan for allegedly comparing AEW to WCW, expressing harsh opinions on Khan's approach. "I've gotten so used to Tony Khan saying stupid sh**, because he's not the brightest bulb in the Christmas tree. He's just not," Bischoff said bluntly.
"He may be really smart when it comes to data analytics — although, I'm even beginning to question that, because he's clearly not analyzing his own data. I'm sure there's many things that Tony Khan is intelligent about, but not when it comes to the wrestling business, and certainly not when it comes to WCW." The latest episode of "AEW Dynamite" attracted around 700,000 viewers, and at the time of writing, AEW has sold just under 41,000 tickets for their upcoming All In pay-per-view.
Despite these seemingly positive numbers, Bischoff criticized AEW's ticket sales for its weekly shows, pointing out that the July 10 episode of "Dynamite" sold only about 4,000 tickets. "So, when Tony Khan makes comparisons and tries to compare AEW and Tony Khan's approach to the business to WCW, I just laugh," Bischoff remarked. "When we're talking about .
.. even '95, '96, '97, '98, and yes, even in 1999, with wheels falling off and flying down the highway and sparks flying and everything else.
Tony Khan and AEW aren't even close to where WCW was when WCW was on its way to the bottom. Don't legitimately try to compare what you're doing to even WCW, at one of its lowest points." Though Khan hasn't made any recent comparisons between AEW and WCW, the last notable comparison came in April 2024.
During that time, some in the wrestling world likened The Elite and Jack Perry's attack on Khan to a storyline reminiscent of the NWO in WCW. Also read: WWE Hall of Famer Says that Hell in a Cell Might Disrupt Punk-McIntyre's Raw Feud.
