Eric Bischoff describes how CM Punk getting fired gives AEW a major opportunity.
On September 2, AEW announced that former world champion CM Punk's contract had been terminated. Punk had been involved in a backstage confrontation with Jack Perry at AEW All In, and his termination came after an investigation into the matter.
Speaking on 83 Weeks, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff shared his thoughts on Punk getting fired. In one highlight of the conversation, he stated that AEW has the opportunity to move forward with an entirely clean slate.
“If I’m Tony right now, I am convincing myself, if I’m not already convinced, that this is an opportunity to start off with an entirely clean slate. Yes, it’s gonna be a little uncomfortable, but damn, it’s also a great opportunity. The last six months or 12 months of AEW has not been great. It has in terms of Wembley and maybe one or two other things, but their television ratings are not great, they’ve been very flat, if not deteriorating. Their house show business is trailing off. Any time they repeat a market, it’s getting a little ugly. These are things that can all be addressed and fixed, but not if you’re constantly inhaling bad air. Just wipe this thing clean, and chalk it up as an, and it is a learning experience. I’ve said this before, it’s one of the reasons I have empathy for Tony is because he’s learning on the job, just like I did. That is not fun. Parts of it are fun, but a lot of parts of it are not fun. But it’s part of the process. This is an opportunity to clear the air, wipe the slate clean, sit down with your roster and say, ‘Look, moving forward, this is the vision I have for this company. This is the vision I have for the relationship between talent, between producers, between the creative team, this is how I want it to work. I want every one of you to be here and to prosper. But we cannot continue with the kind of childish, juvenile behavior that we have been experiencing.’ Certainly not across the board. There’s a lot of talent there that we don’t hear from. They’ve kept out of this mess, and they’re smart for doing so. But it’s also a great opportunity," Bischoff said.
Bischoff subsequently emphasized that the situation is now "water under the bride," so it's time to move forward. He stated that AEW should focus on putting on great shows and building some momentum so they can get some traction.
“It’s water under the bridge now. Clean slate, fresh air, let’s move forward. Let’s start knocking them down and having some great shows and building some honest momentum. Just get those numbers up, get some real traction," Bischoff said.
Check out Jeff Jarrett's comments about the way Tony Khan handled the CM Punk situation here.
Chris Jericho recently commented on CM Punk's termination. Click here to see what he had to say.
Click here to check out the card for the September 6 episode of AEW Dynamite. FIghtful will have live coverage of the show as it airs.
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