Following its inception in 2019, AEW quickly became a true competitive alternative to WWE for the first time in decades. However, the rivalry between AEW and WWE has not been friendly, with fans often choosing sides and promoting tribalism, as well as AEW occasionally throwing shade towards WWE on TV programming. On "83 Weeks," former WCW boss Eric Bischoff claimed that AEW is still not developed enough to be a strong competitor, and that AEW President Tony Khan should thank WWE for its ability to grow and change the landscape of professional wrestling, instead of challenging them. 

"I just think it's too soon. The product is not developed yet. The brand has yet to be developed. Until they stop losing audience, I wouldn't try to make any comparisons at all to WWE. If I was Tony Khan right now, I would be putting WWE over and thanking them for being the catalyst for so much growth in the wrestling space. Literally I'd be putting them over and endearing myself to their fans, as opposed to challenging them to try my product and perhaps hope that you'll find it a better product, they're just not ready for that yet."

Bischoff recently commented on Khan comparing AEW to WCW, laughing at the idea that both companies would be in the same ballpark, and stating AEW isn't even close to touching WCW, even when WCW was on its way out.