WWE veteran says AEW has "an opportunity to sh*t the bed" at All In, explains the reason behind success
AEW is looking forward to its biggest professional wrestling pay-per-view ever, All In, on August 27, 2023, in London. A WWE veteran explained the pressure of performing in front of 80,000 people for the young company.
Speaking on a 'Strictly Business' edition of his 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff talked about the reason behind the high ticket sales for All In.
Taking a jab at AEW's storytelling and calling it 'almost non-existent,' the WWE Hall of Famer said the Jacksonville-based promotion did not sell so many tickets for All In due to TV viewership in the UK or its storylines.
"On average, 50,000 people watch AEW in the UK every week. They’ve sold 80,000 tickets for an audience of 50,000. Television isn’t driving this. Stories are not driving this. Those 80,000 tickets weren’t sold because they’re absolutely engaged in the AEW storytelling, which by the way, I think is almost nonexistent unless you want to really look at some of the things that are going on there and suggest that it’s actually a story."
Bischoff explained the reason behind the high ticket sales is that All Elite Wrestling is new on the pro-wrestling scene and is an alternative to already established brands. The veteran clarified that while the company has no shortage of talent, it is not the primary reason for sales.
"People are buying a ticket to the event because it’s AEW, it’s brand-new, it’s an alternative, and they want to see for themselves what it is. That’s the reason they’re buying tickets, not because of any story, any angle. Yes, an aggregate of the talent that’s on the card, that’s obviously important. But they’re buying the ticket primarily because they want to be a part of something really big."
Eric Bischoff also talked about the high stakes and high-pressure scenario for All Elite Wrestling with the pay-per-view, saying Tony Khan's company can either take a giant leap forward or "sh*t the bed* with 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium.
"If AEW as a whole is able to knock it out of the park, they have an opportunity to take a giant leap forward. They also have an opportunity to s*** the bed in an amazing way with 80,000 people. So I understand the pressure," Bischoff said. (h/t Fightful)
MJF will defend his AEW World Championship against Adam Cole at ALL IN
While Eric Bischoff talked about the non-existent storytelling in All Elite Wrestling, there is a story that has won the hearts of the Jacksonville-based promotion's fans – the one between Adam Cole and MJF.
Adam Cole challenged MJF for the world title on an episode of Dynamite but failed to capture it as the thrilling match ended in a time-limit-draw. While fans were expecting a rematch, the two were instead forced to compete as a tag team in the Blind Eliminator tournament, which they ended up winning.
Fans came to appreciate the chemistry between the two wrestlers, and the animosity between them gradually turned into an onscreen friendship. The story became the focal point of the build to the All In pay-per-view, and the two stars will perform double duty at Wembley Stadium.
MJF and Adam Cole will first team up to challenge Aussie Open for the ROH World Tag Team titles on the All In: Zero Hour pre-show. The two elite performers will later face each other in the main event of the pay-per-view for the AEW World Championship.