AEW might be in deeper trouble than fans realize—and Eric Bischoff just laid it all out.
On a recent episode of 83 Weeks, Bischoff explained why Warner Bros Discoveryâ€s rumored spin-off or sale could spell major problems for Tony Khanâ€s wrestling company. And according to him, AEW may be heading toward a wall of corporate silence with no big investments or long-term commitments coming anytime soon.
Drawing on his own experience with WCWâ€s collapse under AOL Time Warner, Bischoff said this moment feels eerily familiar—and AEW should be worried. The way he sees it, Warner Bros Discovery is already deep into preparing for a breakup or sale, especially of the linear cable channels like TNT and TBS.
“What is likely to happen, one way or the other, is that Warner Bros Discovery is going to get sold. Itâ€s going to get broken up. That process—that decision—has probably been made for a long time. As of right now, that company is for sale—or they know it will be. Somehow, in its current form, it will no longer exist.â€
Because of that, AEW is facing a media partner that isnâ€t in a place to negotiate, let alone commit to another major deal.
“That being the case—and thatâ€s the important point here—because we know itâ€s going to get spun off anyway, theyâ€re not going to be investing. Theyâ€re not going to be writing big checks and making long-term commitments, whether that be for a wrestling company, or Real American Freestyle, or a movie or a reality television series. It ainâ€t happening. Everything is going to hit stop or pause.â€
Bischoff went even deeper, linking the situation directly to AEWâ€s current status and what it could mean for their future on TV:
“What does that do to AEW? Now theyâ€re going into the very end of their contract with their existing partner not having any kind of a serious conversation—because they donâ€t know where theyâ€re going to end up. They need to keep their costs down. They need to show as healthy of a bottom line as they can.â€
He said this approach mirrors what happened to WCW in the early 2000s—where cost-cutting and stalling became the strategy to boost a sale price, not to grow the product.
“Now, this is similar again to my experience at AOL Time Warner. Now youâ€re in a position of managing EBITDA because eventually your sale price—or whatever the strategy ends up being—is all going to be computated based on EBITDA—your bottom line.â€
That means AEW shouldnâ€t expect any big deals, contract extensions, or renewed backing from WBD as their current deal nears its end.
“So in order to do that, you cut costs and you donâ€t make long-term commitments. Thatâ€s the position—as of today, as of this podcast—that AEW is currently in, given whatâ€s going on in the marketplace.â€
AEW has previously relied on strong relationships with Warner Bros Discovery for prime network slots and streaming placement on Max. But if WBD is truly heading for a breakup—or if Netflixâ€s acquisition deal falls apart in court—then AEW might be left in limbo.
Thereâ€s no guarantee that whoever ends up with TNT or TBS will want pro wrestling on their network. And even if they do, they may not be willing to pay what AEW is expecting. Bischoff believes the entire AEW-WBD relationship is about to stall out right when it matters most—and Khan may be running out of time to find a new safety net.
AEWâ€s ratings have seen consistent year-over-year drops, and their contract expires in 2027. If the market goes cold—or if buyers stop looking at AEW as a growth property—the next deal might not come at all.
“Itâ€s not a personal thing, this is just math.†—Eric Bischoff
AEW fans might want to buckle up. With WBDâ€s future up in the air and big media companies playing a long chess game, the wrestling business is once again at the mercy of boardrooms and spreadsheets—and AEW could be caught in the middle.
Do you think AEW can survive another TV deal cycle if Warner Bros Discovery falls apart? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
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