"TONY, WAKE THE F UP!" - Eric Bischoff makes bold statement on AEW's elevation to WWE's competition
Former Raw general manager Eric Bischoff has had a lot to say about AEW and its president Tony Khan in recent months, and has now weighed in on the idea that All Elite Wrestling is realistic competition for WWE.
Ever since the company began in 2019, people in and out of the business have been clamoring for AEW to be a legit threat to WWE's number one spot in the business. Competition makes everyone up their game.
Many thought this would be the case as AEW crushed NXT in the "Wednesday Night Wars" from 2019 to 2021. This left many to wonder when they will overtake either Raw or Smackdown.
In just a few moments, the world of wrestling will witness the emergence of a new era. The Wednesday Night WARS begin!
NXT vs. AEW.
Let's strap in.
#WWENXT #AEWDynamite #WeAreNXT #ImWithAEW
Eric Bischoff is someone who doesn't believe they are a competition. On SHAK Wrestling, the former Raw general manager thinks that Tony Khan needs to wake up as his company isn't growing as he thinks it is.
“Tony Khan refers to WWE, not as WWE, as his competition, TONY WAKE THE F UP! You are not competition, you have not taken any market share, your audience is not growing on television, there is not even a comparison from a financial perspective in terms of a revenue generating conversation. So exactly how are you competitive if you’re not taking market share and you’re not even in the same conversation from a revenue point of view as a business? That’s the beginning and the end of the competition conversation." [9:07-9:51]
Bischoff knows all about being a competitor to WWE due in no small part to his role in WCW. He was instrumental in beating Monday Night Raw for 83 straight weeks in the ratings.
Eric Bischoff has also weighed in on Tony Khan's spending habits
It seems as if this rivalry between Eric Bischoff and Tony Khan isn't slowing down anytime soon. The former WCW executive has also taken offense to the fact that Khan is somewhat piggybacking on one of 'Eazy E's most famous nicknames: ATM Eric.
Here's what Eric had to say to NBC Sports Boston:
"Tony Khan now has the ATM Eric [nickname]. That ATM Eric thing has gone a long time ago. That man is spending more money than Ted Turner would’ve ever allowed me to spend." (H/T Wrestling Inc.)
Eric Bischoff is far from perfect, but he deserves a genuine reevaluation, if just to recognize that "ATM Eric" is a bunch of nonsense and he should be commended for paying WCW talent well. twitter.com/IANdrewTheGian…
Khan has splashed the cash on a number of high-profile names over the past year. However, with Dynamite and Rampage still drawing consistent audiences on TNT and TBS, it looks as if Khan's checkbook is going to stay open for the foreseeable future.
Do you agree with Eric Bischoff? Let us know in the comments section down below!
Please credit "SHAK Wrestling" and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.