Eric Bischoff looks back on WWE star CM Punk's release from AEW

CM Punk was controversially fired from AEW in 2023 after an altercation with Jack Perry before his match against Samoa Joe at All In that year. Now, over a year later, Eric Bischoff looked back at the circumstances that led to Punk's firing and asked if he thought Tony Khan had any other choice.

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“I don't think Tony had a choice; the situation had gotten so bad, based on what we've heard and read and interviews we've listened to and so forth,” Bischoff said on “83 Weeks.” However, he noted that it is a widely acknowledged fact that the whole situation was a disaster and that Khan had no choice largely due to his own lack of leadership skills, so the end result was his own fault.

Bischoff went on to claim that it still seems like Khan is struggling with leadership at AEW and that the effects are still visible today. “There's a lack of continuity, there's still randomness, and I think they're trying to – I want to acknowledge that and give credit where it's due. I think they're trying to focus more on the story,” he added.

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The WWE Hall of Famer reiterated the importance of leadership, especially in terms of leadership, based on his own mistakes in WCW. “Obviously [Punk] has a strong personality. Most good performers or talents… One thing they almost all have in common is they're pretty strong personalities,” Bischoff noted. He then explained how important it is to have a system in place to deal with that, but he hopes Khan learns on the job to improve in that regard.

When using quotes from this article, please credit 83 Weeks and provide Wrestling Inc. ah/t for transcription.