Eric Bischoff Reveals Former WWE & TNA Star He'd Choose To Be Head Booker Of AEW

To say Eric Bischoff isn't a fan of Tony Khan's storytelling abilities would be putting it mildly. Speaking on "83 Weeks," the frequent AEW critic weighed in on the topic of who he thinks would be more a more effective creative lead. Reflecting on his time in TNA, Bischoff said fellow WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray, aka Bubba Ray Dudley, demonstrated a tremendous aptitude for storytelling and audience engagement while the two collaborated on TNA's Aces & Eights angle.

"Once we kind of got the ball rolling and Bully could see the vision, he understood the characters," Bischoff said, noting that Bully didn't have much experience with biker culture. Still, Bischoff said Bully was soon contributing ideas that surprised even him.

"I started to listen to Bully and get a feel for the talent that he has in that respect," Bischoff remembered. "And the more I heard, it was like, 'Hey, here's some more rope, dude. Could you take mine? Because you're better at pulling that rope than I am with this.'" 

Bischoff said Ray understood the type of long-term storytelling required for crafting a compelling wrestling angle aimed at a broad audience. He said that while Tony Khan often caters to fickle internet fans, Ray knows how to capture that niche while still appealing to a general audience. However, Bischoff acknowledged that the Hall of Famer's abrasive demeanor wouldn't win over everybody in the locker room. 

"Bully doesn't bulls***," Bischoff noted. "In his normal course of conversation, he's not gonna sugarcoat anything. He's gonna tell you what he thinks."

While there's no indication that Bully Ray desires a creative role, Bischoff will be dusting off his own creative jacket, producing an upcoming MLW show. He also appeared via satellite on November 26's episode of "WWE NXT" to announce he'd be appearing in person the this week to shake things up.