Eric Bischoff Praises AEW Announcer, Discusses Issues With Company's Commentary

Eric Bischoff isn't quiet about his criticisms of AEW's product, but he is a fan of one of its commentators. Speaking on his "83 Weeks" podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer revealed that he's a fan of Nigel McGuinness' work behind the booth, as he feels he's good at enhancing the storytelling.

"Nigel's perspective as a wrestler, he can, creatively of course, take us into the mind and tell us what somebody in the ring may be thinking and feeling in that moment," Bischoff said. "That adds a lot of color to the story; it's not just a sketch now, we're starting to see color and layers when you can get that kind of perspective."

Despite being a fan of McGuinness — as well as his announcing cohort Tony Schiavone, who worked with Bischoff in WCW — Bischoff isn't impressed with the commentary in AEW as a whole. He believes that the company lacks a good play-by-play perspective, noting that the current set-up is a three-man color commentary booth.

"It's just not as good. We're missing a whole layer of artful ways of describing and advancing a story," he added. "And we're missing out as a result of it, particularly in AEW, because storytelling there is a challenge to start out with."

Of course, McGuinness might not be exclusive to the commentary desk moving forward, as he returned to the ring at AEW All In 2024 and had a singles match against Bryan Danielson at "AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam." Bischoff hopes the match against Danielson was a one-off for the announcer, as he's too good at his commentary role to be used elsewhere. However, it remains to be seen what his future holds.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "83 Weeks" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.