Eric Bischoff is giving Tony Khan some free advice if he really wants to compete with WWE.
This week’s episode of 83 Weeks saw Eric Bischoff address Tony Khan’s recent remarks about AEW competing with WWE. Khan has been very vocal as of late about AEW competing with WWE, including voicing his displeasure in the media about SmackDown overlapping with AEW Rampage on Friday night. In what some may see as a surprising move, Bischoff said he didn’t agree with how Khan has carried himself and advised him to just stay quiet until he’s truly competing with Vince McMahon.
“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, just focus on that. And this is weird coming from me, right? The guy that challenged Vince McMahon, the guy that gave away all of the finishes [to RAW],” Bischoff explained, “but here’s the difference — I was actually competing with them. I was going head-to-head, real head-to-head, my show started the same time [Vince McMahon’s] show started every week.”
Eric Bischoff then pointed specifically to a remark Khan made during an appearance on My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox about AEW being “in the ’96 phase” of the company compared to where WCW was. Bischoff noted that AEW isn’t really going head-to-head with WWE right now, and added that he talked as much as he did because WCW was decisively winning the ratings battle back then.
“And another thing Tony came out and said ‘We’re at the ‘96 stage’ of WCW and we’re just going to not make their mistakes. Tony, you’re inventing some mistakes, brother, by coming out there and constantly comparing yourself and deriding your competition, but not having the willingness — I almost said balls — but not having the willingness to say, ‘OK let’s go head-to-head, let’s really compete. Let’s see who can get who’s market share.’ That’s real competition, so I’m a little disappointed in the rhetoric I’m hearing out of Tony as well as some of the talent. Shut the fuck up until you’re actually competing and you’re actually competing favorably— 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.”
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