Eric Bischoff On The Long-Term Effects Of AEW Firing CM Punk

Tony Khan's decision to fire CM Punk from AEW has been met with mixed reactions depending on how people feel about Punk. However, despite being one of Khan's biggest critics, Eric Bischoff did praise him for making the decision. "Yes, the crowd is going to react negatively, yes there are going to be people that are disappointed, they will get over it," he said on "83 Weeks." "In the long run, I think people will respect Tony more for making a firm decision than they would have had he let Punk wrestle and then fire him. That would have looked really bad. Look, it's a no-win situation."

Bischoff pointed out AEW has been using legal phrasing, such as "unsafe work environment," which he believes is crucial. Khan made it clear that he feared for his life due to the altercation backstage at All In, where Punk allegedly lunged at him, and made it clear that people shouldn't feel that way at work, particularly the non-wrestling members of staff. "Let's assume Tony would not have made the decision he made and eventually, after suspension or whatever, brought Punk back. And whether it involved Punk or not, what if there were a more serious situation that took place where there was a bodily injury backstage? That becomes, in a lawsuit, a serious topic of unsafe work environment," he said.

Bischoff firmly believes that Warner Brothers Discovery owns part of the company, which only enhances his belief that Khan made the right call, as any potential future issue could have seen WBD entangled. "That's what I mean in you have to make a decision, that in the long term serves your best interest, and that's what I think Tony did," he said." I think it was the only smart decision to make, honestly. Anything else would've been pretty sketchy and pretty risky."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "83 Weeks" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.