Eric Bischoff Says AEW Boss Tony Khan Should Hire Recently Released Former WWE Star
Earlier this year, a comment from AEW co-owner Tony Khan regarding WWE's Jinder Mahal resulted in an online conversation that made Mahal the most talked-about man in wrestling — for a few hours, at least. Late last week, Mahal was released by WWE, and speaking on a recent edition of "83 Weeks," Eric Bischoff put forward an idea for the future of the "Modern Day Maharaja."
"If I was Tony Khan, ... I'd hire [Jinder Mahal] so fast," Bischoff said. "Going back to the comments that Tony made about Jinder, that started a whole thing. It turned into internet fire for about three days or four days. It was nuts."
Khan's comments on Mahal this past January revolved around the perception that fans criticized Hook for getting booked in a world title match against Samoa Joe. Meanwhile, Khan felt there were few complaints about Jinder Mahal facing Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship on "WWE Raw" after not appearing on TV for numerous months. Bischoff said the company now has a pre-built storyline ready for Mahal if he should enter AEW.
Similarities With AEW Dynamite Segment
Though the podcast was recorded in advance of Khan's show-ending appearance on last night's "AEW Dynamite," Bischoff actually put forward the idea that Khan should get attacked onscreen to set off the angle. The only difference on Bischoff's end is that the beating would come at the hands of Mahal, while it wound up being the Young Bucks in reality.
Without knowing how things would eventually play out on "Dynamite," Bischoff was adamant that his proposed angle would result in Mahal getting over as a hero with the AEW audience. The former WCW executive stated that Khan may not realize it, but he's become something of a villain, with Bischoff believing that the audience would root for Mahal attacking the AEW CEO.
"If this storyline plays out, it'll get Jinder over," Bischoff continued. "He'll be one of the biggest babyfaces in the company."
Despite including Khan in the storyline, Bischoff stated that his participation should be brief. Additionally, Khan should be kept away from a microphone, which was another element of Bischoff's idea that did play out on "Dynamite."