On a recent edition of his “83 Weeks” podcast, Eric Bischoff explained why AEW President Tony Khan should make it his top priority to re-sign Jim Ross to a new deal in 2024.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On whether AEW should let Jim Ross go: “No. Absolutely not. I don’t think JR has been put in the best possible position at AEW. Part of that is Jim. Look, we all have to take responsibility for our own successes and our own lack of success from time to time. But I would have liked to have seen JR right from the beginning be more of a special event announcer. I would have put him on a different level of pedestal. Not that he’s better than Tony or better than anybody else, but he’s different than everybody else. And I would have taken advantage of that in a kind of enhancement, and built on that perception of Jim being the legend in wrestling broadcasting that he really is. But by putting him on a pedestal and showcasing it, and maintaining that separation from the day-to-day work so to speak, puts them on a different level, you know? And I wish they would have done that from the get-go. But look, JR’s got that voice, man. When you hear that voice, it’s like comfort food for my ears, man. It’s like macaroni and cheese for my ears when I hear Jim’s voice.”
On the importance of Ross: “If you look at AEW over the last 12 months between the Punk drama that ended up in Punk moving over to WWE — which is still mind-boggling to me, to be honest, every time I say it, I just shake my head. Losing Jade Cargill, obviously it’s a big move. I don’t know that if I were Tony [Khan], I would want to lose any more brand value. JR has 50 years of experience as a broadcaster. JR is embedded in the culture of professional wrestling and among fans. So to lose another brand like that, I think the timing would be really bad. Tony’s gotta hold it together. He’s gotta bring that ship together, he’s got to tighten it up. He’s got to lock down the brand talent that he has, the names that he has. Obviously, MJF being crucial at this point, but guys like JR and Tony Schiavone, those people who have equity in their names in every wrestling fan know who they are and have known who they are most of their lives. Those talents you need to lock down while you’re trying to reestablish yourself. And I think AEW in many ways is, believe it or not, in a rebuilding mode because the bottom has just fallen out. So, so much so over the last few months that they’re scrambling to rebuild.”
