During a recent edition of his “Strictly Business” podcast, Eric Bischoff discussed the recent arrest of Cash Wheeler from FTR for aggravated assault with a firearm.
The incident, arising from a road rage confrontation, has raised concerns about his participation in the upcoming AEW Tag Team Title defense against The Young Bucks at All In 2003 on August 27th.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On Cash Wheeler’s arrest: “I was disappointed for everybody involved, from Tony Khan, the rest of the staff at AEW and indeed Cash and Dax [Harwood] and. I can’t think of a worse situation.”
On his overwhelmingly positive perception of FTR: “When you think about it, you know I first met FTR in WWE in 2019. They are very classy guys, super professional. I never got to work with them directly, but I got a good vibe from them and was very happy for them to get an opportunity at AEW, and I loved their presentation. I love what they represent. You know, FTR represents. The favorite style guess or display of professional wrestling, at least that I enjoy. It’s more of a tradition, I don’t want to say throwback, but it is a throwback in many respects, and I love the work. I didn’t get to know either one of them on a personal level. But here they were frustrated in WWE because they weren’t getting the opportunities, they hoped they would get there. They got to two and probably went through a few struggles there to get the opportunities they hoped for, but they stuck with it. They clawed, fought, worked, committed, and now made it to this opportunity in Wembley two, probably not probably. There’s no question about it.”
On the likelihood of Cash Wheeler participating at All In 2023: “Perform in front of the largest crowd they could ever dream of performing in front of, and now this. And in all likelihood. Mr. Wheeler will not be leaving the country, or if he is leaving the country, I doubt he will be able to get into the UK. I could be wrong. I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know immigration law, but I know how tough it is, for example, to get into Canada. If you’ve been charged with or convicted of a DUI here, there’s a charge but no conviction. So I’m not sure if that provides some. Leeway in opportunity. But what a freaking mess. What a lot.”
On whether Tony Khan must have known about the incident prior to news breaking: “Yeah, it will come down to 1 or 2 things. Either Tony made Tony Khan make a very bad mistake by being aware of the situation and moving forward anyway. Which I kind of doubt, or Mr. Wheeler fu**ed up. Then it’s on him. And in either scenario, it’s bad news.”
On his views of the concept of carrying guns, legally and ethically: “God, I just. It’s shocking to me. Really? Yeah. Especially something as stupid as a road rage incident, you never point a gun or flash a gun or even tell somebody you’re carrying a gun, or you have a gun in your car in a confrontation like this because that just escalated. It makes situations worse. I’m a believer in the Second Amendment. I believe that people should be able to defend themselves. But with that comes a fair amount of responsibility, certainly, and brandishing a weapon unless you’re ready to use it because someone else has brandished a weapon or you feel like your life is in danger is a stupid, stupid, irresponsible thing to do. And I, I can’t comprehend it. I know what road rage feels like. I’ve. I’ve been involved in it on both ends. It’s a stupid, stupid mistake. And if it’s true, let’s…”
On waiting for conclusive evidence, hoping Cash Wheeler is not in the wrong: “Let’s point out that we don’t know that it’s true. This is a charge and an allegation, and it’s one side of the story. Yeah, I’m anxious to hear the rest of it. I’m hoping there’s a different explanation or a set of circumstances that we’re unaware of that will mitigate what appears to be an impulsive, stupid move. I hope so. For sake, for Mr. Wheeler’s sake, for his sake, that is the case.”
