Eric Bischoff Thinks Tony Khan Has Adopted His Old Nickname

Since beginning AEW in 2019, Tony Khan has brought many talents to AEW, and the more stars you bring over, the more money you naturally spend. Some big-name talents brought into AEW include CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, FTR, and Athena, amongst others who were homegrown, as AEW currently has a roster of over 100 talents.

"Tony Khan now has the ATM Eric [nickname]," WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff said on "NBC Sports Boston." "That ATM Eric thing has gone a long time ago. That man is spending more money than Ted Turner would've ever allowed me to spend."

In WCW, Bischoff held a significant role as he was best known for being the Executive Producer and, later, Senior Vice President of the now-defunct company. WCW would offer large contracts to big named stars, and in return, Eric got the nickname "ATM Eric."

WCW was bought by their primary competition, WWE, in 2001, with Bischoff appearing as an on-screen character for them in July of 2002 and becoming the General Manager for "Monday Night Raw." Bischoff served as GM for the brand for over three years until December 2005.

Bischoff has been critical of AEW in the past, not too long ago stating that he believes AEW is "flatter than piss on a plate" and called current AEW World Champion CM Punk a financial flop for the company since they brought him in last August. Bischoff has also clearly stated that he believes three-year-old AEW is not a competition to WWE, the most recognized wrestling organization which has been around for over 50 years.

Bischoff last appeared on AEW over a year ago, in May 2021, hosting a party for the Inner Circle, which the MJF-led-Pinnacle ruined. Before this engagement, Bischoff had appeared on AEW TV on three different occasions, with all three times having to do with Chris Jericho or the Inner Circle as a group. The first appearance for Bischoff came on the August 5th, 2020 edition of "AEW Dynamite," when he moderated a debate between Jericho and Orange Cassidy.

If you use any quotes in this article, please credit "NBC Sports Boston" and give a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.