Eric Bischoff comments on Frankie Kazarian‘s decision to sign with IMPACT Wrestling.
Kazarian had been signed with AEW since 2019, but in recent months, he has rarely been used on AEW television. He appeared at the IMPACT Hard To Kill pay-per-view and announced that he had signed a long-term contract with IMPACT. Mike Johnson of PWInsider subsequently reported that Kazarian asked for his release from AEW, and the situation was amicable.
Speaking on 83 Weeks, Bischoff shared his thoughts on Kazarian’s departure from AEW and his move to IMPACT. He stated that he has a lot of respect for Kazarian, both as a talent and as a person. He then compared the situation to his own experience in WCW, when he often paid talent to “sit at home” when he wasn’t using it. Bischoff noted that he understood why AEW President Tony Khan does the same thing, but he stated that Khan might be overdoing it.
“I’ve talked so often about the amount of respect I have for Frankie as a talent,” Bischoff said. “As a person, first and foremost, and as a talent next. He is an amazing talent, but he is so underrated, so underrated. I don’t know how much Frankie wants to spend in the industry. You get to a point as you get older when you’ve done it all. You’ve been a part of some really big things. For Frankie to walk away from AEW, because let’s face it, yeah, it’s a big roster. There’s a lot of talent there that should be on TV that isn’t.
“It’s hard. It’s one of the challenges you have when you’ve got a roster that big. I know that. I had that, and I took a lot of criticism for having guys under contract and paying them anyway to sit at home. How many times have you heard that criticism of me and WCW? But I also understand. I understand why Tony’s doing it. I think he’s overdoing it, to a degree, but I get it. It’s a new company, and there’s a lot of opportunity there, so I get it.”
Bischoff went on to praise Kazarian’s talent and noted that he thinks the world of the veteran. The WWE Hall of Famer made it clear that he respects Kazarian for having the “courage” to bet in himself by walking away from AEW and signing with AEW.
“For a guy like Frankie, who has so much talent, and the camera loves him, he’s got the look, he’s got the charisma, he’s got the mic skills, he’s got the in-ring skills, I can’t recall injuries becoming a real factor in his career” Bischoff said. “Sure, he’s been injured from time to time, but this is not a guy with a lot of nagging injuries. I just think the world of him, and I respect the hell out of him for having the balls to bet on himself because very few people have that kind of courage.
“Frankie did it, man. He walked away from a comfortable environment, probably paid him very well, and he says, ‘You know what, I want to end my career on a high note, the way I want to end my career, and I don’t want to be sitting on the sidelines.’ You have to respect anybody for making a move like that.
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