Eric Bischoff On What Ultimately Soured Him On Tony Khan

Eric Bischoff explains why he has some ill-will toward Tony Khan.

Longtime WCW and WWE executive, producer, writer, and on-screen personality, Eric Bischoff has long been outspoken about his issues with All Elite Wrestling President, Tony Khan.

During the latest episode of his ‘83 Weeks’ podcast, Bischoff would explain while AEW got off to a promising start, he sees Khan making some of the same mistakes that the likes of Dixie Carter made when she ran TNA (IMPACT Wrestling), which Bischoff believes could end with Khan ‘wasting a great opportunity’:

“I’m seeing him make the same mistakes Dixie Carter made, and it frustrates me and that’s what I’m outspoken about. My outspokenness is more about my frustration with Tony and, I say anxiety, but my concern that Tony is going to flop and blow a great opportunity. Tony had when he launched AEW he had so much goodwill, AEW had so much goodwill. Everybody, including myself, was cheering for them to be successful. We wanted a real alternative, when I say alternative, not just something else to watch, but I mean, something is more exciting than the WWE to watch.

And I think we all believed that was going to happen. And there was a lot of indications even after the first six months, you know, going into the Arthur Ashe Stadium and some of the big things that they did, it was like f*ck I’m on board, I’m a believer, I was cheering him on, until he started doing some really stupid sh*t.”

Some of Bischoff’s digressions with Khan began when he says Khan started ‘putting himself over’ while doing it at the ‘expense of other people,’ such as when Khan made some derogatory comments about Ted Turner’s run with WCW:

“And still, you know, putting himself over at the expense of other people. When he came out and said ‘If Ted Turner would have known half as much about booking as I do. WCW would still be in business.’ That statement right there is what turned me off to Tony. That was so disrespectful to Ted Turner. And meanwhile, the little bitches on TNT, or TBS, and he’s disrespecting the guy that created the f*cking network and suggesting that Ted Turner doesn’t know as much as Tony Khan.

I’m sorry, your name is now on another list. I was willing, you know disrespect me, I’m cool with that. Disrespect a lot of people in WCW that did a lot of great things and actually made your opportunity possible Tony, disrespect them. I get that you’re young, you’re excited, you’re pushing your product. But when he sh*t on Ted Turner, it says something especially when he’s part owner of a f*cking football team that has nothing more than a punchline. Are you f*cking kidding me?

Like if Tony Kahn knew half as much about building a successful sports franchise as Ted Turner did with the Atlanta Braves, maybe the Jaguars wouldn’t be a f*cking punch line.”

While Bischoff has quite the issue with Tony Khan and AEW’s current direction, the outspoken podcast host offered up a potential WWE story that he’d love to be involved in sometime in the near future.