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A WWE Hall of Famer shared his opinions about Tony Khan and said the President of AEW wanted to see himself as Vince McMahon. The Hall of Famer in question is Eric Bischoff.
All Elite Wrestling began operations in 2019 and quickly became a major player in the professional wrestling world, which is primarily dominated by World Wrestling Entertainment. The company was founded by Tony Khan, a lifelong wrestling fan, along with Cody Rhodes and The Elite.
During a recent episode of 83 Weeks, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff, who has always been pretty vocal in his criticism of AEW, talked about the CEO of All Elite Wrestling, Tony Khan. The WWE Hall of Famer said that Khan craves recognition so badly that he does not allow others to help him in decision-making.
Bischoff also noted that Khan wants to see himself as the Vince McMahon of WWE or other legends of the sport.
“Tony wants to see himself, so badly, as the Vince McMahon of WWE or the Paul Heyman of ECW or even the Eric Bischoff of WCW — when it was successful. Tony wants or needs that recognition so badly that — whether it’s because he’s so immersed in other things or if he’s just driven by his ego — he’s not making those decisions [to delgate] or choices to let other people [help him]," said Eric Bischoff. [H/T ITR Wrestling]
Criticizing the company's creative direction, Bischoff added that Khan has some great creative minds around him with a better understanding of the wrestling audience than him, but they are not being utilized.
“Tony has people around him, at this moment, that have so much more experience and are probably way better at creative and understanding the wrestling audience. Because Tony, I think, understands the wrestling audience that, in his mind, he was. He’s writing for himself, he’s writing for 14-year-old Tony Khan who is showing up at ECW events, and writing things that stimulated him at that point in time.” [H/T ITR Wrestling]
The Hall of Famer claimed he wanted the best for the Jacksonville-based company, but what grinds his gears is the loss of opportunities.
WWE veteran Al Snow doesn't believe Tony Khan is "respected" today
Al Snow recently talked about Tony Khan and CM Punk in the Netflix docuseries Wrestlers.
Giving an example of Vince McMahon, Al Snow said that Khan is a good guy who wants to be liked by others, but he should be more focused on being respected instead of being liked.
"I think Tony wants to be liked, and he should be more focused on being respected. There were lots of times I didn’t like Vince McMahon. He can be an incredible bully. He could be nasty. I’ve always respected him. Always," said Snow. [H/T Forbes]
It seems that the departure of Punk has once again put the spotlight on All Elite Wrestling for all the wrong reasons. It remains to be seen how Khan will deal with the departure of one of the company's biggest stars.
What are your thoughts about Eric Bischoff's take on Tony Khan? Let us know in the comments section below.
