Eric Bischoff has shared his unfiltered thoughts on TNA Wrestling’s highly anticipated debut on AMC, and the Hall of Famer did not mince words.
Speaking during a live edition of 83 Weeks, Bischoff admitted he was left disappointed by the premiere episode, believing the company failed to fully capitalize on what he described as a massive moment for the brand. While acknowledging the significance of the move to a new network, Bischoff felt the execution ultimately fell short.
“Overall, disappointed because it was such a big opportunity. This is a giant step forward… and anybody that knows me well personally knows that I hate when people miss big opportunities… That’s why I hate it so much, because I know how it feels when you realize that you had a great opportunity and for whatever reason, you didn’t maximize it, and that’s what this felt like to me overall.”
Bischoff made it clear that his criticism was not aimed at the wrestlers themselves, but rather at the presentation of the product. In his view, production issues overshadowed the talent’s efforts and negatively impacted the viewing experience.
“It’s really production stuff. I’m not even going to address the creative or anything like that, but the production itself was so poor that that’s where I think they missed it. That’s why you’re getting the reaction you’re getting from the audience… Television is nothing but the little details laid out in a way that captures the audience’s imagination and holds on to it. These shots the way the director called them. The ring looks like you could fit it in my kitchen.”
Bischoff also touched on reports that visa issues forced late changes to the show, noting that while such problems can happen when working with international talent, they are avoidable with proper preparation. He used the situation to offer blunt advice on operational planning.
“I also heard before the show that there were some visa issues. That’s, you know, part of life when you’re dealing with talent from other countries. I will say, if I was just consulting, and somebody asked me to kind of run down and give them a list of things that I would focus on right away. On the admin side, yeah, don’t book people if you don’t have visas in your pocket ready to go… But my bigger issues were really with the format of the show.”
According to Bischoff, the show’s structure and pacing further contributed to the loss of audience momentum, compounding the production shortcomings. His comments echo a growing sentiment among some fans and industry observers that TNA’s AMC debut, while historic, did not fully deliver on its potential.
With TNA now firmly established on a major network platform, Bischoff’s critique serves as both a warning and a roadmap—highlighting the importance of presentation, preparation, and format as the company looks to build on this new chapter.
