"Really immature and unprofessional" - Eric Bischoff roasts veteran journalist for his online spat with Tony Khan (Exclusive)
Tony Khan has drawn a lot of attention for his sometimes wild-Twitter statements, but his controversial spat with veteran journalist Ariel Helwani was something else. In a recent interview, Eric Bischoff expressed how unprofessional things got.
Khan and Helwani's issues became public knowledge when the journalist took to social media to complain about the interview they once had. Things then drastically got worse once Ariel appeared on WWE SmackDown, leading to the AEW President disavowing him. In response, Helwani called Khan a "snowman," which many believe alludes to the wild rumors that Khan uses recreational drugs.
During a recent exclusive interview with Sportskeeda's Riju Dasgupta, Eric Bischoff slammed the claims against Tony Khan since they were never first-hand.
"That was a very childish, inappropriate thing to do. If you have first-hand, personal knowledge and you witnessed it? That’s fine, all bets are off. Say whatever you want to say. But to spread a rumor or perpetuate a rumor started by somebody else, simply to get attention on social media? I think is really immature and unprofessional." [3:09 to 3:48]
Check out the entire episode below:
To hear Eric Bischoff's take on many other topics in the pro wrestling industry, check out his podcast 83 Weeks, with new content every Monday and Thursday.
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Eric Bischoff believes that Ariel Helwani's shot at Tony Khan cost him credibility
Fans have notably criticized Tony Khan for the lack of information released surrounding the Brawl Out Incident and for his numerous televised announcements. Khan is no stranger to criticism, but Eric Bischoff still believes Helwani took it way too far.
@TonyKhan @tonyschiavone24 Thanks for watching, old friend! Can’t wait for our next chat.
(Also, don’t listen to the snowman, Schiavone. You’re a legend in my books.)
Earlier in the same interview, Bischoff even said that Helwani's reference made him lose all the credibility and respect he had for the journalist:
"I was not impressed with Helwani. I don’t know him, I’ve never met him. But I think for Helwani to imply, with his comment referring to Tony Khan as ‘the snowman,’ I found that to be childish. Helwani lost a lot of credibility with me, and he didn’t have any to start with. But certainly, after seeing that, whatever respect he would’ve had with me by default, it kinda went away." [2:20 to 3:08]
No legal action seems to have come from Ariel Helwani's "snowman" reference, meaning that Tony Khan might have just shrugged it off.
What is your take on the matter? Let us know in the comments section below.
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