Eric Bischoff, the legendary former WCW executive, didnt hold back during his appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, unleashing a scathing critique of AEWs creative direction and future. Known for his candid opinions, Bischoff made it clear hes given up on the company, pulling no punches as he addressed their storytellingor lack thereof.
Theyre horrible. Ive given up, Bischoff declared. I used to get frustrated because I hate seeing people screw up good opportunities. I know what that feels like, and I dont want that to happen again. But now, its just like, yeah, whatever. It is what it is. Theres no hope for them.
Bischoff argued that AEWs problems stem from an inabilityor unwillingnessto learn what makes a compelling wrestling product. Theres no light bulb gonna go off on anybodys head and realize, Oh, this is actually getting people to watch. They have no idea what theyre doing and theyre too stubborn to learn, he added.
When it comes to storytelling, Bischoff didnt mince words, claiming AEW fundamentally misunderstands what fans want. Not there, because theres nobody that knows how to tell a story. There is nobody there who knows what a story actually is, he stated. He broke it down in simple terms: Boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl backthats a story. But they cant even manage that.
Bischoff even took a swipe at wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, accusing him of enabling bad storytelling. Dave Meltzer says the problem with AEW is there are so many stories that people cant keep up with them. I kid you not, he said that, Bischoff said, calling such claims laughable.
The former WCW boss didnt stop there, taking aim at AEWs fanbase and Tony Khans approach. Tonys vision for the company, I guess, is to provide content for that percentage of the audience that only cares about high-risk, high-altitude, fast-paced action and not about story or characters. If thats what you like, then more power to you. But its not viable for the masses.
Bischoff wrapped up his critique by questioning Khans decision to refer to AEW fans as sickos. Why would you want to call your fans sickos? The majority of them prefer not to be called that. Just a hint, he said.
With Bischoffs brutally honest take, AEW fans and critics alike are left debating whether the companys creative philosophy canor shouldchange.
Do you agree with Eric Bischoffs harsh critique of AEWs storytelling and creative direction? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
