Eric Bischoff On CM Punk & Daniel Bryan To AEW Rumors, Differences In How AEW & WWE Use Legends

In a recent edition of 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff discussed the CM Punk and Daniel Bryan to AEW rumors, the differences in how AEW and WWE use legends, and much more. You can read Eric Bischoff’s comments below.

Eric Bischoff on the CM Punk and Daniel Bryan to AEW rumors: “It’s pretty exciting. I’m very excited, regardless of what happens, it’s gonna be really positive, unless neither Daniel Bryan or CM Punk actually end up on television. But I don’t think that’s gonna happen. Regardless of where they both or individually land – both in AEW, one back to WWE – it matters a lot to AEW obviously and would matter a lot to WWE. But to fans, it’s starting to generate a ton of excitement and interest. It’s fun to think about the possibilities. There are some great options out there.”

On how the Punk and Bryan signings could impact younger AEW talent: “This is not a criticism, it’s just an observation. In the last couple of months, you’ve got Mark Henry, Christian Cage, Andrade, [Paul Wight]. You’ve got all this incredible talent. Sting – with the influx of all that top talent, is Sting as valuable as he could’ve been if there would’ve been more focus on Sting? If both [Punk and Bryan] go to AEW, that’s an amazingly cool thing. But to have them both come in at the same time, I think each dilutes the other. You’re spreading the heat, so to speak. What’s gonna happen to a lot of that younger talent that AEW started out with that people were so excited about? What was the excitement when AEW became a thing? We’re gonna be an alternative to WWE. That’s a great goal – be different than. I like it. Then when you started bringing in so many hot talents, what happens to your core? Even with Andrade, Christian, and then Punk and Bryan comes in, there’s only so much television time, folks. Even if [Punk and Bryan] don’t wind up there, there’s still a lot of ex-WWE talent that are very valuable that are going to be taking up TV time from other younger, less experienced talent. That’s where the rift starts.

“When you bring in all that top talent who’s had all that television time on the biggest platform in the world and obviously have a big fanbase, all of a sudden, that young aspirational talent people were getting so excited about, they’re not gonna get the focus because there’s only so much television time. Internally, and this is not gonna happen tomorrow, next week, or next month, but over time, a lot of that talent people were excited about that – and this is the important part – differentiated AEW from WWE and delivered on the promise of being an alternative, all of a sudden doesn’t feel like an alternative anymore…..I think Tony Khan and AEW have done a fantastic job with Sting. Sting isn’t an example of what I’d be concerned about. Sting is only going to add value and create awareness for a guy like Darby Allin and others and bring that credibility.”

On the differences in how AEW and WWE use legends: “The way AEW is using legends is a much better way than the way WWE uses legends. WWE uses legends to embarrass, with the exception of Undertaker and a small handful of others. But everybody else is kind of like you’re there to be humiliated and degraded in a way as a character. I think that’s the reason [Paul Wight] left WWE…..the difference in the way AEW using legends and WWE is night and day. I’m very grateful to AEW for the way they use legends. Guys like Sting and Big Show, they bring that 18 to 49-year-old demo in…….what I’m trying to say, and I’m doing a horseshit job of doing it, is as they make way for Andrade and Christian and whoever else comes in from WWE, by default, there are people who are not gonna get that primetime television. They’ll be on YouTube and that has value, but it’s not the same thing. You’re not building a career on YouTube. You’re building a career on television.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit 83 Weeks with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.