AEW President Tony Khan recently appeared on the Ariel Helwani show, attracting significant attention from fans and wrestling insiders. Although Khan and Helwani had a past public disagreement on social media after their first interview, they reconciled during this latest appearance, where Khan gave thoughtful responses to Helwani’s questions. Throughout the interview, Khan referenced WCW as he discussed AEW’s back programming and described AEW as a "challenger brand," which drew the notice of WWE Hall of Famer and former WCW executive Eric Bischoff.
Despite often criticizing Khan, Bischoff admitted on the "83 Weeks" podcast that he respected how Khan handled the interview. He noted that while Khan may not have been completely candid, his professionalism stood out compared to past interviews that typically did not go well for him. Bischoff appreciated Khan’s generally positive outlook on himself and AEW during the discussion.
Bischoff also found Khan’s term "challenger brand" amusing because he doesn’t fully grasp AEW’s strategy but acknowledged it sounded fitting for the context of the interview. Khan highlighted WWE’s attempts to counter AEW pay-per-views with rival programming and mentioned WWE’s collaboration with TNA while explaining his company’s challenger status.
Fan Take: This recognition from a wrestling veteran like Eric Bischoff highlights AEW’s growing influence within the industry and the shifting dynamics in professional wrestling. For AEW fans, it signals that their company is gaining respect even from former WWE and WCW insiders, which could eventually push wrestling into more competitive and exciting territory.
