"They are not even close to WWE" - Veteran scoffs at the idea of AEW being competition (Exclusive)
A wrestling veteran recently expressed his opinion that AEW was nowhere near the quality of WWE at this point.
The veteran in question, Eric Bischoff, has often been critical of the Jacksonville-based promotion. While AEW seemed to be on the path of an exponential rise a few years ago, the momentum has noticeably slowed as the company has faced numerous setbacks.
Speaking in an interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta, Eric Bischoff was asked whether AEW was still a credible competitor to the Stamford-based company. Bischoff's answer was simple:
"They are not even close to WWE. They've never been close to WWE. Now in terms of the excitement that AEW has generated, particularly on the internet, absolutely AEW. Especially early on, everybody was hoping for an alternative... Everybody was hoping that we'd have another Monday Night War, including Tony Khan, who by the way still thinks he is in a war with WWE, which is delusional to the point of... It's not even funny because it's so bizarre." (13:00 - 13:51)
You can check out the full exclusive video here:
Visit Eric Bischoff's podcast, 83 Weeks, for his opinions on a variety of different pro-wrestling-related subjects. New episodes are released every Monday and Thursday.
The WWE legend also directly criticized Tony Khan
Eric Bischoff's frosty relationship with the AEW President is apparently the result of the latter's comments about WCW and Ted Turner.
In the same interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta, Eric Bischoff recalled Tony Khan stating that he was a much better booker than Turner. Bischoff went on to disagree with the statement.
"That's number one, and it was stupid. What Tony knows about WCW and why WCW was eventually sold to WWE, he learnt from reading dirt sheets by Dave Meltzer, or listening to people that weren't even remotely involved in that situation... And for Tony Khan to make such a disrespectful and ignorant statement like that, made me lose a tremendous amount of respect for him."
Eric Bischoff: “Tony Khan books like a 14 year old”
Also Eric Bischoff: https://t.co/BYs7Zog18c
With a massive pay-per-view at Wembley Stadium on the horizon, it remains to be seen what is next for Tony Khan and AEW.
Do you agree with Eric Bischoff's words about AEW and Tony Khan? Sound off in the comments section below!
Please give a H/T and embed the Sportskeeda Wrestling exclusive video if you use any quotes from this article.