Highlights

• Eric Bischoff believes that the success of AEW is crucial for the future of wrestling outside of WWE, as it could pave the way for other companies to emerge if it proves to be successful on television.
• Despite similarities between AEW and WCW, such as challenging WWE and airing on Turner networks, AEW has a distinct identity with its indie-informed aesthetic and focus on younger talents.
• AEW's growth and evolution will depend on various factors, including creative and business decisions, external circumstances, and fan reactions, all of which play a significant role in the wrestling industry.

It has been well documented in recent years that there is real life tension between Eric Bischoff and Tony Khan. The issues are rooted in Khan taking shots at the former WCW executive’s history in the business and Bischoff not backing down, but rather being very up front—and arguably overly critical—in the opinions he voices about mistakes Khan and AEW are making.

RELATED: How Tony Khan & Eric Bischoff Are Similar (& How They're Different)Social media has been the stage for a lot of the hostilities between them, but Bischoff has also made his 83 Weeks podcast a home base for a good bit of his critiques. In an episode that dropped November 3, Bischoff shared some additional, and perhaps surprisingly well-intentioned insight into why he had been so aggressive in his critique.

Eric Bischoff Thinks AEW Represents Much More Than Their Own Business Interests

Eric Bischoff’s biggest claim to fame is that he headed up WCW’s operations leading up to and through the most contentious parts of the company’s Monday Night War with WWE, during which Nitro and Raw aired weekly opposite one another. As such, it’s little surprise fans see parallels between WCW and AEW, and by extension Bischoff and Tony Khan.

RELATED: 10 Harsh Realities About The Monday Night Wars WWE & WCW Fans Need To Realize

In discussing the matter on this podcast, and Bischoff level of criticism for the modern wrestling company, he explained, “If AEW isn’t successful as a television property, it will be decades before another wrestling company emerges as a result of AEW’s failure—if it fails. Conversely, if it’s successful, who knows what can happen? You may see a third company or a fourth emerge.”

Bischoff went on to clarify he didn’t mean to dismiss TNA or the NWA’s efforts, but nonetheless that for a wrestling promotion to really have a chance on a major cable network—regardless of how much money was behind the company—it had prove it could deliver sustainable quality and ratings. Bischoff, thus indicated he points out AEW’s problems because he feels their success is so vitally important for any wrestling outside WWE to thrive on a national level for years to come.

Differences Between AEW And WCW

There are, of course, quite marked differences between AEW and WCW. Some fans are quick to draw parallels on account of them both challenging WWE, basing their programming on Turner networks, and featuring names like Sting and Tony Schiavone. Nonetheless, AEW has a quite distinct identity, with an indie-informed aesthetic in the ring and generally focusing on younger talents on top, including MJF’s current reign as world champion.

That said, AEW remains a young company which saw its momentum stunted for a bit by a global pandemic. Fans have observed some WCW-like moves, particularly in an influx of top talents who are not homegrown like Paul Wight, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, and most recently Adam Copeland. Only time will tell how the promotion will continue to evolve in consideration of creative and business decisions, as well as happenstance and fan responses that tend to dictate so much in the wrestling business.