AEW is set to make history tonight as it broadcasts “AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru” live from the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, Massachusetts.
This special edition marks the 289th episode of Dynamite since its 2019 debut—officially making it the longest-running prime time wrestling show in Turner Sports history.
With this milestone, AEW surpasses the legendary “WCW Nitro,” which aired 288 episodes between 1995 and 2001.
Interestingly, former WCW executive Eric Bischoff—who has often been vocal in his criticism of AEW President Tony Khan—acknowledged the achievement on his podcast 83 Weeks, giving credit where it’s due for breaking Nitro’s long-standing record. He said the following;
“I want to congratulate Tony Khan and his entire staff. This obviously means a lot to them and congratulations. It does say a lot about Tony’s commitment. Tony put his own money into this.
You can judge the product, I can judge the product, I often have. I just don’t watch it anymore, but truth is, his vision, his dream, his money, his commitment. So congratulations because what he did isn’t easy, no matter how anybody feels about the product, it wasn’t easy and it still isn’t … it doesn’t bother me a bit, it just doesn’t mean anything to me while it does to Tony and company.”
Bischoff also shed light on the roots of his frequent critiques, pointing to comments made by Khan a few years ago.
At the time, Khan suggested that if former WCW owner Ted Turner had even a fraction of his wrestling knowledge, WCW might still be around today. Bischoff admitted those remarks caused him to lose respect for Khan, though he isn’t proud of how deeply his resentment has grown.