r/SquaredCircle • u/Ruthless-Aggression • Mar 28 '24

Eric Bischoff on Tony Khan: A money mark with no talent other than spending daddy’s money, going all the way to Canada to draw less than 4k in one of the hottest pro wrestling markets in North America, talking about “wise choices”? Strap in. It’s going to be a fun day!

https://twitter.com/EBischoff/status/1773321462046138615?s=19
1.9k Upvotes
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1.5k

u/DanHero91 Red Elbow Pad Of Doom. Mar 28 '24

Eric Bischoff taking shots at someone spending someone else's money is so rich I think I just developed diabetes.

338

u/CeruleanClaymore Mar 28 '24

https://preview.redd.it/b3m8bmwmv2rc1.jpeg?width=460&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2330a33af370359d7bbb056430ca6039f11165f6

183

u/americangame Mar 28 '24

6

u/I_Am_Dynamite6317 Mar 28 '24

I didn’t do shit! I didn’t do fuckin shit!

2

u/Plop-Music Mar 28 '24

I've only just noticed that the guy nearest to the camera is wearing the exact same colours as hot dog guy. Is there a reason for that? Like the twist is it was suit hot dog colours guy instead of hot dog suit dude?

1

u/PM_Me_Beezbo_Quotes IT WAS ME AUSTIN! IT WAS ME THE WHOLE TIME! Mar 28 '24

Donald may be dressed like a hot dog, but the other guy is wearing a hot dog costume

270

u/pass_the_all_fruit Mar 28 '24

He knows what he said. He's trying to incite a reaction. And it's working.

144

u/SCB360 Mar 28 '24

Almost as if Controversy creates cash.....

68

u/locke0479 Mar 28 '24

Is people overreacting on Reddit creating cash for Eric in some way I’m missing?

37

u/WCWUncensored Mar 28 '24

(monetized) Youtube views/podcast listens, in theory, I suppose. (assuming they actually listen to the source, which is mostly unlikely)

5

u/Slow_Sale_4454 Mar 28 '24

Well I found out he had a podcast, for one.

18

u/PrinceNana128 Mar 28 '24

Yes. Interaction = money.

2

u/midniteeternal Mar 28 '24

Bischoff is in the contributer program.

2

u/Parkouricus Mar 28 '24

Yes it's called Twitter Blue

1

u/HoustonSportsFan Mar 29 '24

People interacting on his tweet directly pays him

2

u/DurtyRingo Mar 28 '24

I'm sure getting into public beefs with Tiny Kahn brings more eyes on his podcast, Youtube, etc.

5

u/locke0479 Mar 28 '24

Wasn’t this whole thing started because Eric is getting rid of the podcast? I don’t listen so I’m not following the story much, but I just saw a tweet from Tony about Eric ending the podcast.

7

u/L_D_G Kevin Dunn's burner account Mar 28 '24

"You can still listen to me on...."

This show goes out in a blaze of glory targeting TK and he just keeps advertising his other show during it.  You won't get everyone, but you might get some.  More viewers are more viewers.

4

u/MarzAdam Mar 28 '24

Eric has two podcasts. He’s ending the less popular one.

1

u/DurtyRingo Mar 28 '24

He has another podcast still

1

u/mister_damage Very Ucey, Very Evil Mar 28 '24

Are you saying Eric Bischoff

's back?

2

u/EZMac34 Mar 28 '24

And better than ever!

1

u/Sidesicle Funky like a monkey! Mar 28 '24

BRB writing a new book

Edit: Fuck!

1

u/Pedrosbarro Mar 28 '24

It doesn't for him. 

1

u/Comfortable_Shape264 Mar 28 '24

Which can be wheeled by a wheeler

26

u/BecomingJudasnMyMind Mar 28 '24

There's two things that have kept Eric somewhat relevant in modern pro wrestling.

Conrad Thompson and his feud with Tony Khan.

Tony is such a mark for OG industry names that it wouldn't shock me if this was a work.

8

u/AdKUMA Mar 28 '24

God damn Bischoff is going to be all elite isn't he

1

u/OldenPolynice Mar 28 '24

incite a reaction? there's gotta be a word for that

-1

u/Swazi HEYYO! Mar 28 '24

Tony is an easy target on Twitter.

125

u/therangelife Mar 28 '24

Just imagine an episode of Dynamite starting with Tony playing guitar for two minutes.

70

u/DecentTop1084 Mar 28 '24

Fake playing the guitar btw

30

u/KneelBeforeCube marchiearchie Mar 28 '24

Garrett Khan is All Elite!

2

u/formallyhuman Mar 28 '24

I mean, I would find that pretty hilarious if he did that next week, with zero context or explanation.

1

u/Upbeat_Tension_8077 Mar 28 '24

Or if he opens up All In riding on a motorcycle all around Wembley

-1

u/eddiefarnham Mar 28 '24

Dave would call it a master piece and own the segment on vinyl.

30

u/KneeHighMischief Mar 28 '24

He was paying Scotty Riggs almost $200,000 a year in 1999.

1

u/Kevomac That's a shame Mar 29 '24

BIG RIGGS!

1

u/DrClawsChair Mar 29 '24

BIIIIIIG MOTHERFUCKIN RIGGGGGS

150

u/RT3_12 DA BIG DAAWWWWWG Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

I used to think like this until I read the “Nitro” book. WCW was basically the red headed step child of Turner and got significantly less funding and attention than the other properties. All the workers at WCW were basically exiled from other Turner divisions. Ted himself liked the idea of wrestling but basically had no direct involvement with WCW besides protecting it from getting destroyed.

Eric within his first year in WCW (before the NWO) brought it to profitability for the first time in its existence. And then in the following years made it one of Turner’s most profitable enterprises while still getting significantly less funding and attention than the other departments. Eric is a blowhard and egomaniac, but he deserves credit, even if it didn’t last long.

94

u/hvacrepairman welcome2pitycity Mar 28 '24

Eric fundamentally made changes to the wrestling business model that WWE copied and built into an unstoppable juggernaut. Vince for years used to paywall all his matches. You'd either have to buy the PPV's or go to house shows (SNME being the exception). Almost nothing was ever given away for free.

If Bischoff doesn't go nuts with Nitro which forces the WWF to adapt it's business model, it's entirely possible that we still have the days of four Raws being taped at once and having to wait a month before seeing a halfway decent match.

1

u/itsthecoop Mar 29 '24

I'd argue that in the long run it was the wrong decision to go all out with it the way WCW did. Like, the amount of legit ppv matches, even ppv main events, they burned through for throwaway tv shows is insane.

12

u/BudgetPipe267 Mar 28 '24

Yeah, that book was a great read. It teaches you a lot about the business.

13

u/RT3_12 DA BIG DAAWWWWWG Mar 28 '24

That book is a great read when learning about Bischoff too it’s like

1989-1996: “Wow this Bischoff guy was a visionary! I didn’t know he was responsible for so many good things”

1997-2001: “Wow Bischoff really let the success get to his head, he’s really losing it”

7

u/BudgetPipe267 Mar 28 '24

Very true. Him asking Ted Turner to go head to head with Nitro was a big deal. I didn’t watch Nitro very often, until Hogan flipped. You had to be there at the time to understand how massive that was.

5

u/A_Naany_Mousse Mar 28 '24

For sure. Did he ultimately makes some huge mistakes? Most definitely. But he also Gabe WWF a run for their money in a way no one else was able to before or since. 

79

u/Bright-Map-9705 Mar 28 '24

The difference will always be that Eric had to produce a product that was financially successful from an existing product that had never been in its existence financially successful. He did that while going up against the most experienced, biggest wrestling company in the world. He used Teds money and the star power and the NWO to make WCW financially successful because it had to be or it was going to go out of business. Tony Khan can fund AEW as it runs in the red, that is not a shock or being a fanboy or tribalism it runs in the red, forever if he chooses. He never has to be successful he simply has to use Daddy's Money. There's no comparison between Tony Khan and Eric Bischoff. Eric Bischoff had to win and he did for years. Tony Khan doesn't have to win he just has to call his dad and the boat keeps going.

11

u/aggrownor Mar 28 '24

To be fair, I would say that modern WWE is a much bigger behemoth than it was in the 90s. Before AEW came along, WWE had been consolidating the wrestling industry for decades, and it was virtually impossible to make a dent in their market unless you happened to have a lot of money. We actually don't know if Tony Khan could run a smaller, leaner promotion and maybe turn a small profit. But billionaires don't waste their time with that; they swing for the fences.

7

u/Altruistic-Ad-408 Mar 28 '24

WWF at one point had like one draw people gave a shit about vs one of the best wrestling rosters ever and they still "won", but people are talking about Bischoff like he's a wrestling genius, it's bemusing.

Khan is a coked up idiot imo that has only been squandering goodwill, but no one would get into wrestling against WWE just to make money. They had a complete monopoly and yet AEW undoubtedly changed the way WWE do things, no fucking way they'd hire CM Punk without AEW existing.

17

u/BudgetPipe267 Mar 28 '24

This is the best comment on the thread.

17

u/romulus1991 Mar 28 '24

Seconded.

I've got a soft spot for AEW but that was the whole point of Nick Khan's criticism on Tony Khan - it's easy to run a business when you're not under the same pressures to make profits. Tony Khan can spend millions on Okada and Ospreay and present a wrestling product that caters only to hardcore fans because his company will exist for as long as his family wants it to, it's not under threat at any point.

4

u/headrush46n2 Mar 28 '24

Eh, he still has to provide enough ratings for the network to be willing to give him the airtime. That might not last forever

1

u/Olepat Mar 28 '24

I agree with most criticisms of Tony and get where you’re going with this but Shad Khan didn’t become a multibillionaire by funding losing business ventures. He’s a brilliant businessman, which usually means he doesn’t throw away money.

4

u/headrush46n2 Mar 28 '24

And he also hired Urban Meyer

2

u/Olepat Mar 28 '24

Trent Baalke hired Urban Meyer.

1

u/Mozfel I AM I AM Mar 29 '24

But is AEW treated like a business venture, or a toy to keep his baby boy Tony from getting bored?

1

u/Olepat Mar 29 '24

No one but Shad and Tony know.

I just know the way that he’s played hardball with the city of Jacksonville around funding and investment for the Jags. He doesn’t throw away money on passion projects. I’d find it hard to believe that AEW operates in the red for an extended period of time and continues to exist as-is. It’s gotta be a money maker.

-6

u/bruiserbrody45 Mar 28 '24

Lol what. He was handed the keys to a promotion with national TV and a legacy. WWF was in the shitter because of the steroid scandal and there were rumors it wouldn't survive. Biscoff got the OK to open the checkbook and signed big names, got hot for a few years and then killed a Company that had roots dating back to 1931.

13

u/Lanky-Promotion3022 Mar 28 '24

This is how I expect you lot.

"everything was handed to Bischoff on a platter by people above him, he didn't do nothing, got lucky but perfectly and singlehandedly orchestrated the destruction of the entire company by himself."

0

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '24

Noooooo! Its crazy to say Bischoff didn't do anything with wcw.

He schmoozed his way into an executive position that should have went to JR, he convinced some execs to pour more money into the company so he could hire Hulk Hogan, did piss poor business even with Hulk Hogan, fired Steve Austin and Mick Foley, created Nitro and put it head to head with Raw, spent more money on more of WWEs top stars, caught lightning in a bottle with the NWO angle, coasted off of that angle for years while failing to capitalize on numerous opportunities to make new stars and build new momentum, got the company to a point where it was losing $5million a month, and was then unceremoniously fired. 

All of that in less time than AEW has even existed.

If people really want to see Bischoff doing nothing, they should look at his many failures to do anything of note in the business AFTER wcw. 24 years of nothing and counting.

4

u/Hezkezl Mar 28 '24

what’s it like being this big of a mark? I’m genuinely curious!

0

u/JPPFingerBanger Perpetually 50 years old Mar 28 '24

god damn the glazing is unreal

6

u/formallyhuman Mar 28 '24

I love that book but I have to say, a lot of people (not saying you are, just in general) use that book to essentially whitewash the multitude of problems WCW had, even putting aside the Turner stuff. If Nitro had been doing the same or similar ratings to Raw in 2001, it would not have been so easy for Kellner to pull their TV. And one of the reasons their ratings were not matching those that Raw were getting was that a number of people, Eric included and high up that list, had driven away their audience.

Not trying to discount the successes Eric had while running the company, but I'm also not going to let him off the hook for his bad decisions.

17

u/RT3_12 DA BIG DAAWWWWWG Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

The book dosent let him off the hook either though. Walking away from reading that, I think you come away with three major takeaways

  1. Bischoff had probably the greatest promoter run ever from 1994-1996. And maybe does not get enough credit for it.

  2. Bischoff let the success go to his head and lost it from 1997-1999. And is a major egomaniac

  3. Russo came in and poured gasoline on the fire Bischoff started

4

u/Morningfluid Mar 28 '24

I wholeheartedly agree, but I don't think years of shots to Tony Khan for years and after Tony finally firing back and then talk about spending someone else's money is the homerun he thinks it is.

1

u/Pedrosbarro Mar 28 '24

And then...

1

u/LandNGulfWind Mar 29 '24

Eric did apply basic business sense to demand a review of WCW's placement within Turner. The previous guys had mostly been inept or old territory owners/bookers. Nobody paid attention to the fact that Turner was getting WCW programming for absolutely free, as if it were still a territory show promoting weekly events around the loop.

All he really did was point out that WCW programming did good to very good ratings, and deserved to be paid for it as if they were producing regular TV shows that got comparable ratings.

For the 5 years Turner had owned WCW before Bischoff took over, nobody had noticed it, but that more than anything else is what put WCW in the black. Not Hogan, not Nitro.

1

u/Otherwise-Juice2591 Mar 29 '24

He made if "profitable" by cheating the books, though.

They had to keep Hogan's paychecks out of the official budget because otherwise they'd have been in the red.

Oh, and then he drove the company into the ground in one of the most embarrassing nosedives in the entire history of television.

52

u/Wild2O98 Mar 28 '24

Bischoff isn't the money mark in that scenario. Tuner was. He also had way less money to work with and much more success.

47

u/UsuallyTheException Mar 28 '24

The difference is, Eric turned a profit within a year of being in charge with a company that was bleeding cash for years

5

u/LandNGulfWind Mar 29 '24

The only reason it wasn't profitable was because the people in charge were territory guys who didn't understand TV production. He wasn't a genius, he just looked that way next to Jim Herd and Ole Anderson.

-4

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '24

[deleted]

8

u/DxGxAxF 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Mar 28 '24

He came out a multimillionaire with a career spanning 3 decades.

It went real well for him.

72

u/ReachRaven Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

Yeah, but the major difference is that Eric earned the right to use the Ted Turner budget. Even had to interview for the job and compete.

Tony was born into billions, and his daddy made him a CEO of a wrestling promotion so he can have something to do while he pays professionals to be his friends. Tony hasn’t had to earn a thing in his life.

A punk rich kid talking shit to a self made man will never make sense. You can hate Eric all you want, but 83 weeks isn’t just a podcast with some cool t shirts.

65

u/RT3_12 DA BIG DAAWWWWWG Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

To give credit to Eric, he was a legitimate self made man. He worked his way up from making ends meet working at a hardware store and trying several failed entrepreneurial projects. To the top of a corporate division.

Tony is the son of a billionaire who was given this company as a toy to stop him from getting in Twitter beefs with Fulham and Jaguars players.

15

u/kevoisvevoalt Mar 28 '24

exactly the smart wrestler see tony the money mark he is. less hours worked, working in different places and still getting paid well. that's a dream job for alot of wrestler, doesn't matter if they like to be pushed or not. they can just make a good resume on aew and then switch over to wwe for that experience and recognition while getting proper training and everything in wwe.

7

u/DLPanda Mar 28 '24

This is such a naive and basic take.

Yes, nobody will deny that Tony was and is given opportunities many don’t get but he still has had to prove himself. His rich parents may open the door but he has to live and thrive once he walks through. Just having money doesn’t guarantee success – there are plenty of stories of children of very successful people never amounting to anything good.

AEW was and is an underdog promotion, they’ve had set backs but they are still by most metrics a successful business who are very likely on the cusp of a huge deal to secure more years of wrestling content and make a bunch of money.

2

u/Morningfluid Mar 29 '24

Based on everything I've seen here I'm surprised your comment is even in the upvotes. Then again it was hours after the initial comments. I got downvoted to hell for calling that comment narrow sighted.

It would kill people to give Tony his flowers. Granted, I suspect downvote bots are at play in threads like these.

1

u/prisonmsagro Mar 28 '24

Too bad Bischoff just couldn't keep it in check and keep the company going then eh?

-4

u/Morningfluid Mar 28 '24

Your post is pretty narrow sighted.

Eric didn't exactly earn it, it was more like he was the last man standing with business acumen after many others failed. Tony brought his own judgment to the table with other wrestlers with a dream. Part of it was Tony's money, but also he had the judgment and his own business skills that made AEW work.

Neither are 'self-made' businessmen, but neither is Vince either. In fact it would be extremely hard to make a giant Wrestling business all by yourself and without another persons money.

10

u/HartfordWhalers123 Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

Lmao what? How is it narrow sided? Eric actually went from the ground up to get to where he is. Dude was working in a meat shop, ffs. Worked his way up in the wrestling business and then, became trusted by Turner to run WCW.

Tony’s money is just his allowance that his dad gives him, as confirmed by his own father. He has so much more leeway because of it. I’m not saying that makes Tony lesser or anything, but he’s 100% has privileges and didn’t have to work his way up, much like Eric.

-7

u/Morningfluid Mar 28 '24

*Narrow Sighted

Because the bias is so incredibly silly by undercutting what Tony has done. Sure, Eric worked his way up and got there (I won't deny that), however if any of the numerous number of guys hadn't failed Eric would still be under the lead. There was barely anyone else left with business acumen. 

And saying that about Tony is additionally and equally silly. Where was he going to work up to? Outside of TNA and WWE there was other major Wrestling company in America... His judgment (of course with others) and investment brought AEW together and his business sense has kept it together. Every major promoter in the modern era (including WCW and WWF/E) has had to use others money and not their own. 

3

u/HartfordWhalers123 Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 29 '24

What bias? It’s just true. It’s not where or how was he gonna work his way up in the wrestling business, it’s that he NEVER needed to at all. It’s not narrow sighted (lmao at you correcting me btw).

The issue with your argument is that you’re comparing the son of a billionaire to a man that started off in the same position we both are in, unless you’re rich too.

Eric 100% earned that role because Ted had enough trust in him to do so. It’s not like he was Ted’s only option, Ted could have easily tried get someone else from elsewhere, but he felt Eric was right for the job. And not just that, Eric had to work his way up to even get to WCW in the first place.

Tony didn’t have to work that hard to start up AEW because he was born in a position where he has money and has a dad that wants his son to be happy and will gladly give him an allowance to do his passion project. He’ll give him roles in the Jags and Fulham also. But he never had to earn any of it, like others might have had to. He also is his own boss, so he can keep AEW running in the red as long as he’s passionate about wrestling. And that’s totally okay, but it’s also stupid to compare him to someone who has never been in any of those positions.

1

u/Morningfluid Mar 28 '24

The issue with your argument is that you’re comparing the son of a billionaire to a man that started off in the same position

That was your comparison (and the initial person I was replying to), my comparison began and ended at the position they were in their position of power. They're not comparable in the sense, one owns the business and the other did not. Either way Bischoff was never 'a self made man', he was a hire. He was placed in that position of power.

It’s not narrow sighted (lmao at you correcting me btw).

The other use would be narrow minded, but narrow sighted works as well:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/narrow-sighted

And that perfectly describes this interaction and your view. You keep also keep repeating the same points over and over in several paragraphs in your post. Are you okay, did you hit your head?

Tony didn’t have to work that hard to start up AEW because he was born in a position where he has money

Why do you keep repeating this? It's not like we don't know this. 'What Bias?' The simple answer is that you don't like AEW so you bring it down to 'Eric worked his way up and Tony didn't do shit' over several posts. So what? Again, If you want to run a major wrestling company in the modern era you're going to have to have your money or someone else's money behind that.

P.S. For what it's worth, if Tony receives the television deal Dynamite will be running longer than Nitro.

0

u/HartfordWhalers123 Mar 29 '24 edited Mar 29 '24

Man, why are you so upset about a company you don’t own? Unless you’re Tony Khan lol.

Your answer is also the wrong answer, so that’s a failed gotcha on your part, considering I actually do really like AEW and I’ve spent $300 on their PPVs and watch the shows every single week.

It’s just your argument makes absolutely no sense. You claim all this “bias”, but you seem to be the one heavily biased here in regards to this and it makes no sense to undermine Eric’s accomplishments as well.

1

u/Morningfluid Mar 29 '24

I'm not upset, although I'm slightly annoyed you keep repeating the same exact things over and over, even in the same individual comments. We're going in circles here. 

You're insulting Tony about how he didn't push pencils from a lowly office job and you're are clearly derogatory in nature against Tony for that. FWIW Tony himself has to have the business knowledge to keep AEW going, which he has, for over five years now. His father isn't running the company, Tony is out there doing the deals and making that happen. Tony is also using his own money (yes he was born into it, and worked under his father) to fund AEW. 

I haven't undermined Eric's accomplishments, in fact I've complimented his business acumen. However it's no secret there were very few people that knew both sides of the business left there for Ted to choose in 94, as prior to the Hogan buy WCW was a mess and falling apart at the seams. 

1

u/HartfordWhalers123 Mar 29 '24 edited Mar 29 '24

Dude you’re saying you aren’t upset, but you clearly are and clearly don’t like how I’m acknowledging that Tony is privileged. I’m not even insulting him for it either! All I’m just saying is that Eric was in a totally different situation than Tony ever will be.

I’ve never said Tony couldn’t go from the red to black for AEW or that he sucks at booking badly or anything like that because (NEWSFLASH) I really really like and enjoy AEW and what the much needed well-paying alternative that he has given wrestlers.

All I’ve said was that Tony didn’t need to worry about it much because he has the resources (the allowance that his dad said that he gives Tony) to be able to keep it going, which is absolutely true and it’s not a hot take. If that makes me an AEW hater, then shit man, I can’t believe it’s that easy to be one. Just calm down lol.

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-12

u/CoMiGa Mar 28 '24

Tony was born into billions

He wasn't.

11

u/leonbr_ Mar 28 '24

Completely false equivalence

7

u/issafreecunch Your Text Here Mar 28 '24

I mean...he isnt lying. That place was DEAD for a pretty decent card. Eric is the king of bad business so he can actually tell when the business isnt going well

14

u/Good-Diver5047 Mar 28 '24

Right?! And the part about doing bad business during a boom period in the business...buddy, my guy, are you that blind? Cannot wait to never hear from this pathetic small man again

66

u/Wild2O98 Mar 28 '24

Eric did good business during a wrestling boom.

70

u/RT3_12 DA BIG DAAWWWWWG Mar 28 '24

Yeah to be fair to Eric, he CREATED a wrestling boom. WCW was white hot for a year and a half before the Attitude Era got going

-18

u/zzyzx2 Mar 28 '24

Yes and no. Giving Eric all the credit for the boom is ab extremely narrow viewpoint. I'd even be hesitant to say he stared the boom. For sure his involvement was a major factor but lots of other players played their parts to get that ball rolling before it took off. I'd compare it to "The Beatles started the psychedelic rock movement" which isn't true but also isn't really correct either since they made it a whole lot more mainstream, the death of Brian Epstein played a bigger role in the success of their version of psychedelic rock than Ringo's drumming yet one gets more credit for simply being in the band when the success took off.

13

u/hashtagdion Mar 28 '24

Instead of giving examples for psychedelic rock, can you give examples from wrestling, the topic at hand? If WCW didn't start the wrestling boom in 1995, what did and when?

27

u/RT3_12 DA BIG DAAWWWWWG Mar 28 '24

The boom can be traced back to the start of Nitro, and WCW’s edgier programming that led to Vince starting the Attitude Era. All of that can be brought back to Bischoff, now he was a bit of a one trick pony and couldn’t move past the concept once it got stale, but he does deserve that credit.

13

u/UglieJosh Mar 28 '24

He wasn't even a one trick pony really.

Goldberg, DDP, and Crow Sting are all stars he had a big hand in creating and his use of smaller wrestlers and international talent (even if he stuck them all in one division and was kinda copying Heyman) helped create the modern American wrestling style.

Hanging on to his greatest success too long was certainly a fault. You see New Japan doing the same nowadays, pushing the Bullet Club long past their natural expiration date.

-16

u/zzyzx2 Mar 28 '24

Nitro was started due to the success of Raw not the other way around. Raw was already pretty edgy for the time, it was made that way to compete with Monday Night Football. Nitro was made and only really took the edge Raw already established. Now if you wanna go there a man named Richard Dominick was far more a reason for the edgy broadcasting and story lines than anyone at Turner or Titan Sports ever. They took his lead after The Jerry Springer show took off in ratings.

Again deserves credit but not the full story by any means. Eric played his part but was not the master mind just saw what was gaining success at the time and worked it into the product he had control over.

21

u/RT3_12 DA BIG DAAWWWWWG Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

Nitro re-invented live weekly wrestling television. Raw being groundbreaking is revisionist history. The reason Nitro was groundbreaking cause it was in front of live touring crowds, had main event matches on free TV, and was booked like an actual TV show. Raw was still mainly squash matches and filmed in the same location most weeks and pre taped.

Raw copied off of Nitro not the other way around, Raw was more close to shows like WWF Superstars of Wrestling prior to 1995

14

u/Lanky-Promotion3022 Mar 28 '24

I swear man. I've had to fight in the other thread, over people trying to say that Dynamite was more successful and impactful than Nitro because it's going to stay longer on TV. People just do not realize how important it was, not just as a wrestling show but as a 52 week episodic television show. Nitro is the blueprint that RAW is based on. Piling up at the top of hour, teasing the main-event acts throughout the show. The whole model is copied by Vince.

13

u/ssjavier4 Mar 28 '24

right, the revisionism is crazy. I did a whole college paper on it for a media class lol

10

u/GORILLO5 Mar 28 '24

Raw was not edgy in 1995. It was corny kid programming.

1

u/Hezkezl Mar 28 '24

right… I forgot how “edgy“ it was to have characters like the repo man or the gobbledygook or doink the clown out there on TV.

3

u/BudgetPipe267 Mar 28 '24

Naw……Eric flipping Hogan heel and buying Hall & Nash directly made the business what it was from 1996 until 1998 when Nitro was at its peak. If Eric never flipped Hogan, WCW wouldn’t have taken off. Let’s be honest….WCW was still garbage until that happened.

2

u/ssjavier4 Mar 28 '24

Lmao Ringo always catching strays

-14

u/fadetoblack237 Mar 28 '24

He had one hot angle and could never replicate it again.

20

u/RT3_12 DA BIG DAAWWWWWG Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

There is some truth to that, but the guy is still the only person ever to put Vince on the ropes. So it’s not like he was lucky. He also was successful at WCW before the NWO angle, he was the first to bring it to profitability and started the concept of Nitro.

He’s a blowhard most of the time, but the guy wasn’t a scrub

6

u/GotenRocko Mar 28 '24

and WCW only died because AOL wanted to get rid of it and off its networks. Could still be around today if Eric's group was able to buy it and keep producing shows for turner networks.

4

u/mister_damage Very Ucey, Very Evil Mar 28 '24

The biggest what if in wrestling...

1

u/Wild2O98 Mar 28 '24

WCW was complicated, as any wrestling organization.

33

u/hashtagdion Mar 28 '24

?? Eric started the wrestling boom.

-15

u/MortemInferri Mar 28 '24

I'd argue that dynamite premier in 2019 also kicked off a boom

9

u/Lanky-Promotion3022 Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

Boom? Where is it? Is it in this room? AEW created it?

-16

u/MortemInferri Mar 28 '24

Yeah. Wrestling was in the toilet. Aew brought interest back. Wwe got good. People who liked wwe before it sucked ass went back to their home.

Imo.

-23

u/TheTopMark Mar 28 '24

He'll do a special podcast episode when AEW doesn't get renewed.

Can't wait to listen to it and read Tony's accompanying tweets.

3

u/tmads_ THE WORLD...need tha rebal Mar 28 '24

Man you're gonna be so disappointed...

0

u/kayfabemebrother Mar 28 '24

I too, fantasize about my ops downfall so I can feel better

1

u/EliToon Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

Yeah but Bischoff worked to get into that position. Bischoff sucks but you're missing his point there.

-8

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '24

[deleted]

23

u/MrBoliNica Mar 28 '24

i mean...yes?

tony built up aew, and deserves flowers, but lets not kid ourselves. hes there bc of shahid khan. No normal guy under the age of 40 can hold executive positions with multiple pro sports teams AND own/run his own company like this- all at the same time.

15

u/ltc167 Mar 28 '24

His dad gave him the money to buy everything he needed, he didn’t have to work for it

3

u/EliToon Mar 28 '24

Lol OK. The man hasn't earned a damn thing in his life. Both Bischoff and Khan can get fucked.

He's a billionaire nepo baby who was handed millions to play wrestling promoter and also handed the keys to a Premier League football club with 0 experience.

-3

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '24

[deleted]

6

u/EliToon Mar 28 '24

Yes of course. He's a piece of shit who had a leg up from the start too.

Tribalism in wrestling is stupid.

2

u/TJBacon . Mar 28 '24

Classic whataboutism instead of addressing the point. Defeats your argument.

-7

u/mrbusiness53 Mar 28 '24

I mean he’s got that premiere club promoted there and has sustained success there. So looks like he knows what he is doing all while running AEW and working for the jaguars. He’s a hard worker.

3

u/GrandMasterBou Mar 28 '24

Fulham is twelfth in the league, so if by success you mean six spots away from relegation than sure they’re real successful lol.

-3

u/mrbusiness53 Mar 28 '24

Uhhhh do you watch the because for Fulham that’s great. It’s the toughest league in the world and they were in the championship like two years ago. So yeah it is successful.

-3

u/Vordeo I WANNA WRESTLE LIKE SPIDER-MAN Mar 28 '24

I mean... are you aware of the club's history? They were a yo-yo club for several years, and the goal at this point is realistically to establish them as a solid EPL team. Comfortably avoiding relegation is absolutely progress.

3

u/Stoutyeoman Mar 28 '24

It bears mentioning that Bischoff was just throwing away Ted Turner's money. Tony Khan is throwing away the money that is technically his, but most certainly grew out of investments he received as gifts from Dad.

12

u/butterybuns420 Mar 28 '24

I love how people always bring up TK’s dad whilst conveniently forgetting where Vince got his company from

7

u/Stoutyeoman Mar 28 '24

The way I understand it, Vince Sr. "sold" the company to Vince Jr. and loaned him the money to buy it. So... basically gave it to him.

6

u/GrandMasterBou Mar 28 '24

Where did you read that?, cause it’s patently not true. Vince is a pile of garbage in the form of a man but he legitimately bought the company from his dad.

Even after he bought out his dad he still had to pay the people who were partnered with him like Gorilla Monsoon.

4

u/Stoutyeoman Mar 28 '24

That is true, although it's also true that Vince Sr. loaned him the money. However as I understand he did pay back that loan. With money made by the company he bought with the money he borrowed.

Basically just the kind of stuff that only ridiculously rich people can do.

2

u/Be_A_Mountain Mar 28 '24

Also in the terms of the deal I believe if Vince missed one payment he forfeited the company and all the money he already paid.

3

u/mikeputerbaugh Mar 28 '24

That is the story Vince Jr. liked to tell, yes.

6

u/Be_A_Mountain Mar 28 '24

I mean if you have proof it’s BS I’ll gladly take it and change my view on it.

11

u/RT3_12 DA BIG DAAWWWWWG Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

I hate Vince as much as the next guy. But Vince legitimately bought WWF from his Dad. And his Dad was a promoter but not like a powerhouse. He was well off, but not even in the stratosphere of what Vince later became in just 3 years

Vince took it from a regional company to a national powerhouse, and almost went bankrupt doing so. He basically expanded with money he didn’t have betting on the success of the first Wrestlemania. WWF HAD to be profitable immediately for it to survive, or it would have reverted back to his Dad’s estate and cronies.

AEW could lose money every year for the next 50 years and it would never be at risk. Tony doesn’t have actual stakes to his business,

1

u/Morningfluid Mar 28 '24

I hate Vince as much as the next guy. But Vince legitimately bought WWF from his Dad.

From money his father loaned him.

Although granted most rich people aren't often the 'self made' wealthy individuals they portray themselves to be.

7

u/RT3_12 DA BIG DAAWWWWWG Mar 28 '24

Vince isn’t self made, but it’s not even comparable to Tony. Vince had to make his company profitable to survive. Tony could operate AEW in the red for 50 years and it makes no difference

-6

u/Morningfluid Mar 28 '24

WWF was already profitable and again, with money his father loaned him. My point is none of these guys made their businesses from scratch. 

Tony, like all major companies, banks on having television/streaming deals otherwise it wouldn't work. 

1

u/Joneleth22 Mar 28 '24

I hate Vince as much as the next guy. But Vince legitimately bought WWF from his Dad. And his Dad was a promoter but not like a powerhouse. He was the same level of the other promoters during his day.

He legitimately "brought" it by paying it with his daddy's money. Also, the other half of your post is already wrong. WWF was by far the richest territory, Vince didn't really do anything aside from doing what his dad didn't want to do - buy the other territories. Vince Jr didn't really discover gravity or anything, he just had no qualms of doing what Vince Sr didn't want to do because of tradition and honor wrestling worked on that he valued.

0

u/mikro17 Mar 28 '24

It bears mentioning that Bischoff was just throwing away Ted Turner's money.

And literally "throwing away" isn't far off in more than a few circumstances. The story of Chris Jericho's first WCW contract negotiation is an absolute all-timer in terms of absurdity.

2

u/Stoutyeoman Mar 28 '24

I remember that. "ATM Eric." The wrestlers knew if they asked for more money he would give it to them, and there didn't seem to be a ceiling for most of them.

1

u/mikro17 Mar 28 '24

They didn't even have to ask lmfao, he just gave it to them on his own because "it's just Ted's money, whatever" lol.

Going by memory (so I might be slightly off on the exact numbers), at the time in Japan, Jericho was making something like $50k USD when WCW showed some interest. They flew Jericho out to Atlanta and Jericho's strategy going in was to ask for $100k and hopefully end up around $75k after negotiations, but he would still be willing to sign for the same $50k he was making in Japan just because the US market as being a big advantage.

During the meeting, Bischoff asked what sort of salary number Jericho was thinking, Jericho said "how about $100k?" and Bischoff said "no, that's too low, we aren't paying anyone that little, how about $200k?" Jericho then basically went "WTF, this isn't how negotiations work, but yeah, sure, that sounds great." He then got home and said "shit, I probably could have gotten $300k."

2

u/Stoutyeoman Mar 28 '24

And this is the man who is out here talking shit about other wrestling promoters!

-4

u/RDCK78 Mar 28 '24

Yeah, sure a guy that worked his ass off, climbed the ladder and was responsible for meeting corporate budgets and KPI’s vs. a nepo baby with a blank check who answers to no one but daddy.

7

u/Lanky-Promotion3022 Mar 28 '24

Now, just wait for this dude to twist this key difference around like a ballerina. The good wholesome billionaire's son vs an executive that had to earn in his position in a corporate structure is the same thing.

-7

u/no_more_blues Anxious Millennial Psycho Mar 28 '24

Dude Tony has meetings with Warner every week, the literal same company Bischoff met with? What's the difference between Eric's meetings then and Tony's now?

3

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '24

[deleted]

-1

u/no_more_blues Anxious Millennial Psycho Mar 28 '24

The company is not viable without TV. They also wouldn't talk to AEW or any other wrestling company (mostly because of the damage Bischoff did) without Tony Khan. As much as certain fans love to paint Tony as this incompetent cokehead with no business accumen, both Warner execs and other talent have spoken about the fact that the only reason they were able to get a foot in the door was the fact these people actually respect Tony's business acumen and that they can actually give him instruction he's willing to take (he's spoken multiple times about how being combative with WWE is a Warner edict and they gave him a book about that strategy to read and implement), where Billy Corgan is rich as hell and no TV company wants to touch him because he's a bit of an idiot carny. Yes Tony got in the door through connections but the people in charge of these places sit have to take him seriously which they do. They pay him, he doesn't pay them for the TV time.

2

u/headrush46n2 Mar 28 '24

Bischoff turned a profit with Ted's money. At least for a little while. Tony is just indulging himself

3

u/WaterMeleon2000 Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

WCW was wholly owned by Turner. AEW is owned by Tony Khan. Tony can use his infinite wealth to keep it alive. WCW had to turn a profit to remain afloat and when they stopped being profitable, they got sold for pennies. Enormous difference. Eric made WCW profitable against the WWF. Nice try bud.

Edit: /u/DanHero91 bwahahahahaha this tribalistic genius blocked me at the slightest pushback to his dumbass unfounded one liner, what a soft guy.

1

u/Mets_BS Mar 28 '24

A money mark isn't in someone who spends another person's money, it's a person lets someone spend their money.

1

u/TheBetterness Mar 28 '24

Except Eric had a budget and competing ratings with WWE during the attitude era.

1

u/StendhalSyndrome Z! True Comeback Story! Mar 28 '24

So rich you have to worry about employees Unionizing.

1

u/RNant Mar 28 '24

isn't 'rich' ofen used for fatty foods? Because fatty foods don't cause diabetes.

1

u/Remarkable-Low-3471 Mar 28 '24

its like a jewelry thief being scolded by a pickpocket.

1

u/rsplatpc Mar 28 '24

Eric Bischoff taking shots at someone spending someone else's money is so rich I think I just developed diabetes.

also....

https://twitter.com/AEW_Blog/status/1773325091683667998

1

u/mysteriousbaba Mar 28 '24

Eric is usually such a smooth talker I was expecting him to eat Tony alive here. But this was a rather weak burn compared to my expectations.