Eric Bischoff has continued to speak out about the controversial “F*** ICE” chants heard during AEW Dynamite and AEW Grand Slam: Australia. On his “83 Weeks” podcast, Bischoff criticized wrestling fans who label WWE as “the MAGA company.” He argued that WWE has introduced musicians like Bad Bunny to mainstream American audiences, contradicting these political accusations.
“Isn’t the fact that it was WWE who introduced Bad Bunny to the mainstream American audience in a bigger way than anybody outside the music industry?” Bischoff asked. “How can we say that? How can we arrive at the conclusion that WWE is one way or another when, in fact, they’re giving both sides of the equation great entertainment?”
He continued by pointing out that WWE doesn’t exclusively book conservative country acts, addressing the notion that the company is pushing a political agenda. Instead, he sees the debate as “cheap noise” and “cheap heat,” a way for wrestling fans to stir up controversy for attention.
Bischoff further slammed the online wrestling community for using these issues to fuel division, calling it “cheap content” that does not add value to the conversation. He described it as a sad state of affairs where fans argue and accuse each other of horrific things under the guise of wrestling discussions.
On the topic of Warner Bros. Discovery’s role, Bischoff took aim at CNN, which is owned by Turner Broadcasting, a parent company of AEW’s minority stakeholder. He questioned why CNN would run an article highlighting the chants, seeing it as a provocative move that could harm AEW’s brand.
Bischoff Criticizes CNN and Warner Bros. Discovery
Turner is the owner of CNN and why should CNN do that? Bischoff remarked. You do not need to be as smart as to see that it is a stupid thing to do, except there is a reason to do it.
Bischoff mentioned the unstable case at Warner Bros. Discovery, as the company was putting its own reputation at risk by encouraging political division with the help of AEW programs. He indicated that this would be counterproductive just like what took place with other brands such as Bud Light and Cracker Barrel when they got involved in political discussion.
The entire world is ablaze at the present time. The case of Warner Bros. Discovery is fragile, he said. “Why would you do that? Since you think that highly about this AEW product that you will risk the bad publicity?
Bischoff stressed that any business and in particular, an entertainment business should know its customers. According to him, a move to lose half the viewers in case of political motives could be disastrous and he warned that AEW might be losing its grip on viewers.
To sum up, the comments of Bischoff were not only about AEW but about a negative outlook of the fusion of entertainment and politics. He encouraged brands not to lose sight of their audience and to not get entangled in the divisive rhetoric that is neither in their brand nor in the fans.
