Eric Bischoff Says Comparing AEW & TNA Is "Stupid & Ignorant"
Ex-WCW man Eric Bischoff has strong words for those who compare AEW and Impact Wrestling...
Eric Bischoff believes that comparing All Elite Wrestling and TNA/Impact Wrestling is "stupid and ignorant."
Speaking on Chris Van Vliet's Insight podcast, the ex-WCW chief said that those who make these claims don't know what they're talking about and do so on theoretical knowledge alone (h/t Inside the Ropes for the transcription):-
“That’s stupid and ignorant, I mean that in the literal sense. People who say those things have no real first-hand knowledge or experience. They have theoretical knowledge based on their fandom. But they don’t really know what they are talking about.”
Such comparisons are commonplace when discussing AEW, particularly relating to the promotion's use of former WWE talent. TNA's propensity to sign any wrestler released by Vince McMahon's promotion and push them at the expense of homegrown talent was a constant bugbear throughout the group's rise and fall, and often attributed as one of the main reasons behind its decline in popularity.
The AEW roster currently features a number of wrestlers who rose to prominence in WWE, from Cody Rhodes and Jon Moxley to Tay Conti and Leva Bates.
Bischoff added that while he doesn't think that AEW's product is reinventing the wheel, Tony Khan's company is smart in its use of veteran talent alongside lesser-known names:-
"I think what AEW is doing is by no means ground-breaking but they are smart. Bringing in former WWE talent with international brand equity and a fan base, what is wrong with that? If you have to rely solely on that I can see the argument. The wrestling audience is not one demo and it’s family viewing. If people today understood the challenge of building a primetime product, you have to appeal to a wide variety of people. If you bring in a load of young fresh talent, no one knows or cares about them.”
Bischoff has made several AEW appearances since the promotion launched, with his latest going down on the 3 March 2021 episode of Dynamite, where he appeared during the Inner Circle press conference segment.