Eric Bischoff Weighs In On AEW’s TV Deal, What He Would Do Next If He Were Tony Khan

On the latest episode of 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff talked about his reaction to the new AEW TV deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, and more. You can check out some highlights below:

On his reaction to the new AEW TV deal with WBD: “I not only predicted that they would not get a deal with Warner Brothers Discovery, I suggested many times that they probably would. I’ve also said that it won’t make any difference, because the show’s going to be what the show is. The deterioration of the audience is going to be what the deterioration has been. If you look at some of the information that Brandon Thurston from Wrestlenomics published even this morning, it’s right there in black and white, folks.

“So unless Tony takes advantage of this opportunity [and] reconfigures his approach to the industry, I don’t — looks, it’s a win. Can’t look at this any other way. It’s an opportunity. The important part now is, what does Tony do with it? Does he continue the way he has been and continue to hemorrhage audience and ticket sales? I don’t know. It’ll be interesting to see. But I’m happy for Tony number one. It’s got to be a big load off his back. I’m happy after seven months of teasing this… I’m glad it finally happened. It took the gestation period of a human to give birth almost. But I’m glad it finally happened, and now let’s see what they do with it.”

On what he would do next if he were Tony Khan: “I would do everything I possibly could to get those numbers up. It only makes sense, it’s just common sense. What does that mean going forward? I don’t know. We’ll see. There’s no more big stars to sign, there’s no more hype. There’s no more game changer free agents that they’re going to be able to bring into the equation that are really going to matter. Because none of none of the previous ones have either.

“I mean, I think Mercedes is got to be one of the biggest financial miscalculations in terms of talent deals in the history of professional wrestling. The numbers have crashed since she showed up. Her stock has gone so far down, and she was a big sign. That potentially could have been a big deal, and it was the opposite. So I don’t know what Tony’s gonna do. He got his deal. Let’s see. I hope for the best.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit 83 Weeks with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.