Eric Bischoff has some advice for AEW wrestlers who are unhappy with their place on the card. Since the start of the summer, reports have indicated that several members of All Elite Wrestling’s roster are disgruntled. CM Punk’s post-All Out meltdown was the most prominent example, but Andrade El Idolo and Miro have both sent signals that they are upset. Miro has gone out of his way to squash rumors about him returning to WWE, while El Idolo has taken to starting fights with Sammy Guevara backstage in a supposed attempt to be fired.
This new rash of issues caught Eric Bischoff’s attention, and he dispensed his advice to the wrestlers on his 83 Weeks podcast. “Focus on yourself. I don’t have sympathy for talent who are frustrated. First of all, you made the decision. You made the choice to go work there. And because things aren’t going exactly the way you want them to go, exactly when you want them to go, I don’t think it gives you the right [to complain.] It certainly is not a good look to make as much noise and be as negative an influence as some people are. Man, be grateful! God almighty be grateful.” (h/t and a thank you to Thomas Lowson of sescoops.com for the transcription)
Bischoff isn’t totally off the mark here. He suggests that AEW’s underutilized talent should seek ways to improve instead of complaining. Eric mentions improv classes as one possibility, stating that they could help the performers learn how to be stronger characters on television. That’s certainly one side of the coin. For wrestlers like Miro and El Idolo, however, it might not be as simple as just finding something else to do. Wrestlers are always going to want to wrestle, after all.
While both men were in WWE, fans clamored to talk about how underutilized and underappreciated they both were. Miro, in particular, got massively over with the Rusev Day gimmick but had his legs cut out from under him by Vince McMahon. He’s had a hard time launching into anything serious for most of 2022 in AEW, thanks partly to an injury. The same can’t be said for Andrade El Idolo, who finds himself locked into 30-second backstage segments even while a handful of the roster is stuck in Florida dealing with a hurricane.
Now that Triple H is in charge in WWE, there’s likely a “grass is greener” feeling for El Idolo. The Game booked him wonderfully while they were in NXT together, which is in stark contrast to how Tony Khan utilized El Idolo. It’s unclear at this juncture exactly what AEW plans to do with El Idolo after he was sent home last week for reportedly getting into a physical altercation with Sammy Guevara. It’s also been reported that other wrestlers are unhappy in AEW, but Tony Khan has clarified that he won’t be releasing anyone from their contracts. The company reportedly went so far as to tell El Idolo that he wouldn’t be let go even if he attempted to fight Guevara.
Sources: 83 Weeks, sescoops.com