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The excitement surrounding AEW Collision continues to grow as the new show's premiere date nears. However, a WWE Hall of Famer has raised concerns about the Saturday program and says the promotion is running a "very high risk."
When Warner Bros. Discovery announced the launch of Collision, which is set to air from June 17 every Saturday, many fans quickly noticed the similarities between the show's logo and WCW Nitro. Eric Bischoff has called the replication a "ripoff" and says that AEW is at risk of disappointing its fans for trying to emulate the now-defunct promotion.
The former WCW President said the following on his 83 Weeks podcast:
"I think if it’s a short term, the colors and the logo and the direct ripoff, that’s what it is, as flattering as it may be, it is what it is. It can work and parts of me would love to see it, but having had some experience in trying to recreate something, you run a very high risk."
Bischoff continued, noting the importance of WCW in changing the wrestling business by challenging WWE in direct competition. According to the veteran, AEW cannot live up to that standard.
"The risk of disappointing the audience if you lean too much into, 'Okay, at night we're AEW, but man, we were born in this Nitro, whatever. We're an extension of it.' A little bit of it's okay. Too much of it will backfire big time because there's no way AEW will be able to deliver on the promise," said Bischoff.
Major AEW stars set to headline Collision
AEW Collision's launch is only a few weeks away, and fans continue to speculate about what can be expected from the show. One aspect that does not need to be speculated is the return of multiple popular stars, as revealed in the company's official statement regarding the weekly program.
Thunder Rosa, Miro, Samoa Joe, Andrade El Idolo, and Powerhouse Hobbs were all listed as headliners for Collision. Apart from Hobbs, these stars have not wrestled on AEW programming for months.
CM Punk is also expected to appear at the show, although many reports have noted that there may be complications in making this happen.
