Eric Bischoff Expands Why He Believes TNA Can Surpass AEW

Eric Bischoff is standing by his belief that TNA Wrestling could soon overtake AEW—but now he’s making it clear exactly how he sees that happening.

During a recent 83 Weeks podcast segment focused on TNA’s future after its AMC debut, Bischoff revisited a prediction he made months ago: that TNA could become the number two wrestling promotion in the United States. While the statement raised eyebrows at the time, he’s now clarifying that his prediction wasn’t about financial dominance—it’s about audience size.

“Let me qualify my statement about TNA being able to be number two. I'm talking about from a television viewership perspective, not so much from a revenue perspective.”

The conversation came after Raj Giri pointed out that it would be difficult for TNA to match AEW in terms of production value or star power, unless WWE heavily supported the brand long-term. That’s when Bischoff jumped in with a measured, but pointed, observation about AEW’s recent trends.

“Tony [Khan], AEW is doing maybe 500,000 viewers. They're going to be down to 400,000 by spring. Once NBA starts taking off and it starts heating up during the playoffs, it gets tougher anyway. And they're losing 20% of their audience on average, and they have been for a long time.”

While careful not to frame his analysis as malicious, Bischoff maintained a tone that suggested he’s watching AEW’s ratings closely—and sees opportunity for TNA.

“So, I am still—while I'm, I guess, critical—I'm hoping that it's coming off constructive and not in an angry or negative way. I still think within a matter of six, eight months, TNA is going to be the number two wrestling company in the country... because of the resources that they have, if they take advantage of them.”

It’s not just a wild claim. Bischoff is putting weight behind TNA’s current infrastructure, especially with the AMC partnership, and suggesting that if the company plays its cards right, it can pull ahead of AEW in terms of weekly TV numbers. The tone wasn’t overly aggressive, but there was a sense of quiet confidence—and maybe just a little skepticism aimed at AEW’s ability to hold its ground.

Is Bischoff right to see TNA as a rising TV ratings threat to AEW? Or is he reading too much into the early momentum? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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