Bischoff on the possibility of Shane McMahon joining AEW

Eric Bischoff shared his thoughts on the rumors of Shane McMahon potentially joining AEW, expressing skepticism and surprise at the idea. He acknowledged knowing Shane personally, having spent time with him outside of wrestling, and found it “hard to imagine that Shane would be interested in getting involved in any wrestling company, particularly at this point”—especially AEW, which he described as “struggling in some respects.”

Bischoff speculated that if Shane saw potential in AEW and believed he could “turn the ship around” or improve its “trajectory of growth,” it wouldn’t be unusual for him to seek equity in the company as a reward for his efforts. He compared it to someone taking over a struggling manufacturing company: “If you’ve been making nuts and bolts and nobody’s really buying your nuts and bolts… and someone comes in that’s been in the nuts and bolts business for 20 years or more… that person feels like, ‘If I could come in, get a piece of the company, I could take my experience and my reputation and my relationships… and help turn this company around.'”

However, Bischoff pointed out that Shane is not financially motivated, as “both he and his wife individually and combined are incredibly wealthy.” He questioned Shane’s possible motivation, asking, “Why would you want to get into the trenches at this point—muddy trenches—and try to rehab a company that arguably could use some rehab?” He admitted, “That’s the part I don’t understand.”

Addressing speculation about Shane’s relationship with his father, Vince McMahon, Bischoff referenced Shane’s appearance with Vince at the Super Bowl but dismissed attempts to “connect a bunch of dots that don’t really exist.” He acknowledged Shane’s talent and good character, stating, “I think he is a good person… he’s lived in his father’s shadow for a long time… I think he wants his father’s approval.” He suggested that Shane might be driven by a need to prove something to himself or his father: “Maybe that’s what’s driving Shane to have interest in professional wrestling again, whether it’s AEW or anybody else.”

Bischoff also entertained the idea that Shane might simply be “bored,” saying, “I know a lot of people who have a lot of money, and they’re just freaking bored because they got nothing going on.” He described Shane as “a bit of an adrenaline junkie” who “likes to fight, likes adrenaline, likes pressure, likes to prove himself,” considering that as another possible reason for his rumored interest in AEW.

Reflecting on the reaction from the wrestling world if Shane did join AEW, Bischoff noted, “The internet wrestling media would be on fire for a long period of time.” He acknowledged that he and others were just speculating, admitting, “Neither one of us knows s***, right? We’re just ‘what if-ing’ this whole scenario.” However, he recognized that Shane’s involvement would create major buzz, saying, “The Dave Meltzers of the world would have a field day, and frankly, so would we.”

In a lighthearted moment, he joked about keeping the rumor mill going, urging AEW’s Tony Khan to “call Shane,” even if just to fuel speculation: “Conrad, send Tony a text. Say, ‘Would you just please call Shane to keep this s*** alive? For no other reason than it’s good for us!’”

Source: 83 Weeks