Wrestlers battle during a tag team battle royal during AEW Dynamite. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Bischoff's latest rant on AEW is off base

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Jul 24, 2024 4:20 PM ET

Eric Bischoff continues to take shots at AEW. The former senior vice president of WCW and executive producer of TNA has been consistent in his criticism of Tony Khan's company this year.

During a recent episode of "83 Weeks" Bischoff took the opportunity to share his latest criticism of AEW.

"They’re down because the audience is not buying the product," Bischoff said. "It doesn’t matter if it’s professional wrestling or Jiffy Pop popcorn. People are either buying it or they’re not. And less and less people buy the product every week. What do they have, like 2,800 people at their 250th landmark show where the two biggest stars in the company [are wrestling]? And they drew less than 3,000 people? That’s not cyclical. That’s just dying. WWE’s business is up year over year."

AEW has struggled with attendance and TV ratings this year. Yet, the company has been enjoying a bounce back in recent weeks. It has moved to smaller venues to ensure a full crowd rather than half-full stadiums. Plus, the company is close to agreeing on a new TV deal with Warner Brothers Discovery.

Questioning the company's stagnation over the first half of 2024 is fair. Khan acquired multiple top free agents yet somehow fumbled the chance to continue pushing the brand's growth. However, it's disingenuous to continue taking shots at AEW when it is clearly trending in the right direction. Dynamite 250 drew in one of its largest audiences of the year. Numbers from other countries aren't even being taken into account, either.

AEW has endured a slump. It's coming out of the other end. A lot of injured talent is finally returning, which should help keep programming fresh and interesting, too. As such, Bischoff may have to find a new angle. Otherwise, his criticism is going to start lacking merit and will come off as bitter to one of the only wrestling companies that has never asked for his input behind the scenes.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

More must-reads: