When it comes to AEW haters, few seemingly have as much contempt for Tony Khan‘s company as Eric Bischoff, the former WCW Executive Producer turned 83 Weeks podcaster.

But why? AEW has welcomed Bischoff onto their programming on multiple occasions, and he's even worked alongside multiple AEW performers over the years in one way or another, including Sting, a man he considers a very good friend. Does that sweet, sweet anti-AEW money justify so much anger and hatred towards TK's product? Or does Bischoff simply call them like he sees 'em, noting AEW's issues so the people in charge can see them and hopefully change them?

Discussing how it feels to be on the receiving end of so much of Bischoff's ire in an interview with K&C Masterpiece, Khan actually took things in a different direction, putting over the former WCW personality for his accomplishments in the business, even if he isn't a fan of being criticized so harshly.

“It's an interesting question. There haven't been that many wrestling companies that have risen to international prominence. There aren't that many wrestling companies in modern history that have sold tens of thousands of tickets and hundreds of thousands pay-per-views,” Tony Khan explained via Fightful. “In that sense, Eric and I do have something in common. I do respect his accomplishments. He just has a show, a podcast, that is largely devoted to taking shots at us and a lot of it isn't rational or logical or truthful. I don't think those things seem to matter to him anymore. I do respect what he accomplished with WCW. It was a great company. In that sense, I do respect him. We're on TNT and TBS, that's something I have in common with Eric, there aren't a lot of people that produced a lot of wrestling shows on TBS and TNT. That's one thing we do have in common.”

As unfortunate as it may be to admit, anti-AEW media does very well right now in the proverbial marketplace, as WWE fans love to hate-read about the opposing franchise, while AEW fans like to see what other people are saying about the product in a hate-watching sort of way. And until that changes, there will always be a market for people like Bischoff or Jim Cornette who have made that their bread and butter, no matter how good the matches Tony Khan books are.

Vince Russo and EC3 comment on Eric Bischoff's hate for Tony Khan.

Speaking of the largely one-way feud between Tony Khan and Eric Bischoff, the dynamic duo of Vince Russo and EC3 commented on the situation on The Wrestling Outlaw podcast, with the former clowning on the AEW CEO for poking the wrong bear in professional wrestling.

“Bro Tony Khan is an idiot. Because I got to tell you something, Chris (Featherstone). You know, me being in the business, bro, there are two guys that you don't go toe-to-toe with, and you don't poke the bear. Two guys, that's it, two guys. Jim Cornette and Eric Bischoff. Because they will kill you. Bro, I am a New Yorker, and I can go so far with like Eric and Jim. But you're gonna get to the point where you tap out because they're relentless,” Vince Russo explained via Sportskeeda Wrestling.

“Why Tony Khan would ever poke the Eric Bischoff bear, knowing, bro, he's gonna get embarrassed, he's gonna get humiliated? When it comes to that type of stuff, Eric is 100% smarter, more clever, and he's gonna run circles around him. Why would you ever go down on that road, bro? Literally, you gotta be some kind of an idiot.”

EC3 weighed in on the situation, too, echoing much of what Bischoff had to say.

“Yeah, I mean Bischoff certainly has a silver tongue, and he's not afraid to put out some kind of controversy because it apparently creates cash. I don't know if you read his book, I did, h*ll of a read. Bischoff has no F's to give, so going after somebody unnecessarily to provoke that, you're just opening yourself up to it, and what are you gonna do, like, dare I say, ‘Wanna break the internet?' Tony Khan's done more to ruin wrestling than Eric Bischoff has ever done. There, based off last week.”

Welp, there you go, folks; while it shouldn't come as too big of a surprise that Russo isn't a fan of AEW, I guess EC3 took it personally that he was never invited to All Elite Land when he was trying to control his narrative, was back in Impact, or now as a member of NWA. Maybe there's a reason for that.