4 months ago
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Following Mercedes Mone's match on the 250th episode of "AEW Dynamite" earlier this month, the wrestler celebrated the milestone episode and her win over Nyla Rose in her newsletter. In the short paragraph, Mone noted that the show was quickly approaching the 288 episode run of "WCW Monday Nitro," and would likely surpass it. Speaking on "83 Weeks," former WCW executive Eric Bischoff responded to Mone's comments, indicating that he views the comparison as immature.
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"Who gives a s**t, right?" Bischoff said. "A lot of AEW fans are like, 'I can't believe 'Dynamite' is gonna be around longer than 'Nitro.” It's like a little kid, when you're around a four-year-old or a five-year-old, and they're just beginning to learn how to really communicate. ... As earnest as they are and as passionate as they are, they're just babbling."
Turning his attention to Mone, Bischoff cited an unconfirmed figure of $5 million as the AEW star's annual salary, which would make her likely the highest-paid women's wrestler in history. Bischoff then stated that ratings for "AEW Dynamite" actually dropped following her debut in March.
"Those are the numbers that matter," Bischoff continued. "If I [were] Mercedes Mone, I'd be terrified to put such a high price tag on myself. ... Maybe it's not true, but [Mone has] reportedly been given creative control, and then to exercise that creative control only to lose ground and lose audience in the process, that's a number that matters."
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Mone previously stated herself that she does have "creative control" in AEW, but said she works closely with AEW CEO Tony Khan. As for the performer's salary, no solid numbers have emerged, but it was previously reported that Mone's AEW deal is worth "eight figures," or at least $10 million, over the course of the entire multi-year contract.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "83 Weeks" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

