Eric Bischoff Blasts CM Punk’s Claim That Casual Fans Don’t Exist Anymore

Eric Bischoff’s opinion in the pro wrestling world is taken seriously as many consider him one of the best minds in the business. Sometimes Bischoff’s opinion is not something fans will agree with and that can’t be helped. He also blasted a previous claim by CM Punk.

CM Punk has remained one of the best things about AEW television since he debuted in AEW back in August last year. He has competed in high profile feuds against the likes of MJF and others.

While speaking on Strictly Business with Eric Bischoff, Eric Bischoff addressed CM Punk’s claim that casual fans don’t exist anymore in pro wrestling. He blasted Punk for the claim.

“How do you define the casual fan? I don’t know if there’s one definition and everybody will have their own definition,” Bischoff said. “I’ve always considered casual fans within the context of research as people who drop in once or twice a month and always have. They still like it, if there’s nothing going on if they have some time and they don’t have anything else they’re really interested in doing at that moment.

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They might almost habitually check out wrestling. They probably don’t go to live events or go to one or two pay-per-views a year, but they still have an affinity for the product and will tune in occasionally. That’s a casual fan to me but I’m sure for other people they might have a different definition of that.

The casual fan is still out there. If you build it, honest to god as corny as it sounds, if you build it, your audience will show up. They will, that lapsed fan is another term I’ve heard in a lot of research that I did. ‘I used to watch wrestling but I don’t watch that sh** anymore.’ Sometimes it’s just life, your job, your kids, whatever. If anybody’s going to try to convince me that you can’t find that audience again, they shouldn’t be in the wrestling business.

All due respect to CM Punk, CM Punk never spent five minutes in the television business. He knows a lot about what’s going on in the wrestling ring, he knows a lot about building a character, more than I ever will in terms of executing it. But to make the casual statement that ‘I think the lapsed fan is gone and I don’t think they’re ever going to come back,’ what the f*ck are you doing in the television business then dude? It makes no sense to me, I don’t believe it’s true.”

CM Punk is set to square off against Adam Page for the AEW World Championship at AEW Double Or Nothing on May 29th. We’ll have to see who will win the match in the end.

h/t Wrestling Inc

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