Why Eric Bischoff Wasn't Surprised By WWE NXT Beating AEW Dynamite In Ratings War

Last week "WWE NXT" and "AEW Dynamite" went head-to-head on Wednesday night. Many fans and members of the wrestling media were surprised by Shawn Michaels' brand defeating Tony Khan's company's flagship show in the ratings, but former WCW executive Eric Bischoff saw it coming. Speaking on "83 Weeks," Bischoff stated that he believes "NXT's" success comes from being the more interesting product at the moment.

"I'm not surprised when I read the ratings at all. NXT is a hotter brand, it's just that simple, so I wasn't surprised at the outcome in terms of the ratings ... I did not get a chance to see it but heard a lot about it, read a lot about it. Congratulations to NXT."

"NXT" was held on Wednesday because of the 2024 United States Presidential Election coverage taking place on Tuesday, which most likely would've negatively impacted its viewership if it aired on its regularly scheduled night. However, wrestling shows often fail to draw a strong rating when they aren't showcased in their usual time slot, leading many to believe AEW would beat "NXT." However, Michaels hosting the show from the ECW Arena and having ECW legends appear definitely had an impact. "NXT" managed to draw 619,000 viewers while "Dynamite" pulled in 523,000. 

Last week, AEW announced that the company would be offering a 40% discount for the remainder of its 2024 shows. The hope is to increase ticket sales in the final quarter of the year after several months of having lacklustre attendance figures. Eric Bischoff weighed in on the news on the aforementioned podcast episode, stating that he's pleased Tony Khan has chosen to address the promotion's ticket sales problem, but believes the real issue is what's being advertised on-screen. 

"I think anytime you wake up in the morning, you go I have an issue, let's figure out how to address it, that's at least the beginning of a good day. It likely won't be enough because unless there's meaning behind the matches that they advertise in advance, unless the audience is emotionally connected to the product and is excited about being there because of that emotional connection — whether they announce the match in advance or not really won't matter."

Bischoff suggested that if AEW is able to present interesting stories and create meaning behind their advertised matchups, then the probability of having a successful final quarter this year could be high, especially if their 40% discount strategy proves to be effective. Bischoff has been critical of AEW in the past, explaining that the promotion is repeating mistakes that have caused other wrestling companies to fail in the past.

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