Eric Bischoff Explains Why AEW's Tony Khan Wouldn't Be A Good On-Air Character

Tony Khan — whom Eric Bischoff has criticized for letting fans steer his booking decisions — found himself getting physical on the April 24 episode of "AEW Dynamite." The Young Bucks' beatdown on their boss was likely intended to evoke sympathy for Khan, but on "83 Weeks," Bischoff said that he doesn't believe Khan has what it takes to be an on-screen character.

"My visceral reaction is, 'F*** no,'" Bischoff said. "There's nothing that Tony Khan has done that indicates to me that there's any linear thought process that goes into f***ing anything. Everything he does is random... he's booking for chatrooms." 

Bischoff said that while he doesn't believe the angle is part of any long-term build-up to turn Khan heel, it could make sense because Khan is turning heel in real life. The AEW boss has attracted criticism following his comments about WWE being the "Harvey Weinstein of pro wrestling," and some of his creative decisions — such as showing footage of CM Punk and Jack Perry's backstage altercation at AEW All In — have come under fire from fans and pundits. 

"If you read any of the comments on any articles that are covered on just about any internet site... it's like 80% of them are anti-Tony. So if Tony Khan were to turn himself heel, he'd be leaning into something that's already existing, and he might be able to pick up some wind."

Despite his criticisms of Khan's booking abilities and on-screen performances, Bischoff had nice things to say about the AEW CEO, highlighting admirable qualities that could also affect his ability to play a heel on TV. "Tony's a genuinely nice person. He's a genuinely good person. People like Tony don't like being hated... the two things that Tony would need to be effective as a heel don't exist. He would have to have the talent to be able to perform as a character, and he'd have to embrace the hate."