WCW mastermind Eric Bischoff has blasted AEW boss Tony Khan and urged him to focus on his own product rather than taking shots at WWE.
The former World Championship Wrestling chief – who led the company against Vince McMahon’s promotion through the infamous Monday Night Wars – has hit out at the All Elite Wrestling leader for his outspoken posts on social media.
Speaking on his 84 Weeks podcast on AdFreeShows, Bischoff said: ‘If Tony were to call me and ask for any advice, here’s what it would be: Shut up and wrestle, dude. Just put out the best product you can – and you’ve proven you can.
‘Focus on that. This is weird coming from me, right? The guy who challenged Vince McMahon, the guy who gave away all the finishes. But here’s the difference. I was actually competing with him. I was going head-to-head… real head-to-head.
‘Like, my show started the same time his show started each and every week. And another thing Tony came out and said, “Oh we’re at the 1996 stage of WCW and we’re just not going to make their mistakes”. Tony, you’re inventing some mistakes, brother.’
Eric urged Khan – who even suggested recently that WCW would still be around if someone with his wrestling knowledge had been in position instead of the company’s owner and CNN founder Ted Turner – to either step up or focus on his own brand.
He added: ‘By coming out there and constantly comparing yourself and deriding your competition but not having the willingness – I almost said balls – to say, “Let’s go head-to-head. Let’s really compete. Let’s see who can get whose market share”.
‘That’s real competition. So, I’m a little disappointed in the rhetoric that I’m hearing out Tony – as well as some of the talent, man. Shut the f**k up!
‘Until you’re actually competing and you’re actually competing favourably – and by the way, Tony, in 1996 I was kicking WWE’s ass every week in a real head to head competition, not a cosplay competition.’
On Friday, AEW Rampage and WWE SmackDown went head-to-head for half an hour with the former winning in the demo, while WWE’s blue brand won the overall numbers for their respective shows that night, and Khan has passionately celebrated the win after being outspoken in the days leading up to the clash.
‘I thought that statement really made Tony look childish, uninformed – and I know he’s a brilliant guy,’ Bischoff said. ‘I like Tony. I don’t know Tony very well, I’ve only had limited interactions with him but I know people who work for him.
‘He treats people well, he’s doing a lot of things right, but when comes out publicly and says these stupid things, he’s coming off like a dirt sheet writer. And that might serve your core internet wrestling community audience, but it’s not doing a thing for your ratings.’
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