"You may get a short-term bump" - WWE Hall of Famer firmly believes Mercedes Moné would not help AEW's ratings

AEW is reportedly set to bring in Mercedes Moné in the hopes of a big payoff, but a WWE Hall of Famer thinks the company may be facing a different situation.

The former Sasha Banks has been rumored to join Tony Khan's company ever since she left WWE in 2022, but she chose to work in Japan first. Moné is recovering from a knee injury that she suffered last May and is rumored to debut for AEW at the upcoming Big Bu$iness Dynamite in her hometown of Boston.

There are some who believe Moné will be the big ratings grab that the company needs, while some say she won't move the needle at all. Speaking on his Strictly Business podcast, Eric Bischoff was asked if the rumored signing would potentially change AEW's fortunes or not.

"There’s the problem, or there’s the issue, is — and I used to tell this to Dixie Carter all the time. She was just in one ear and out the other. But unless something changes in the perception of AEW, whatever that is. Something has to change in order to get fans excited about the product again. Because they’ve [AEW] cultivated a significant amount of ill will amongst wrestling fans for a variety of reasons. So adding a talent is an interesting opportunity, but unless there is a strategic initiative to support the addition of a talent, it’s likely not going to matter in the mid-term," he said. [H/T to 411Mania]

Bischoff continued and commented on the company possibly getting a short-term ratings bump from the signing of the former WWE Superstar.

"You may get a short-term bump. Enthusiasm, chatter, maybe even a little blip in the ratings consistently for a couple — let’s say, three or four weeks. But unless there is a clearly articulated strategy that represents a shift in perception, or at least the potential for a shift in perception of the product. Adding any talent — it’s unfair to the talent to ascribe lack of AEW success to the talent. There is a tremendous amount of talent in AEW. None of which have had any significant impact on the overall health of the television program which drives the promotion. What does that tell you? Is it the talent’s fault? Or is it creative and management’s fault? I submit to you, Your Honor, that it’s management’s fault. And creative’s fault as a part of management," he said.

While Moné is rumored to be the top draw for the Big Bu$iness Dynamite in Boston, there is another major name rumored to make a big impact that night as well.

WWE legend on if Tony Khan were fired from AEW

AEW was launched in 2019 by longtime fan Tony Khan, who spent years working for various companies owned by his father, All Elite's lead investor Shahid Khan.

The elder Khan has seemingly allowed his son to run the company on his own and with his own team. Speaking on The Jim Cornette Experience, the legendary wrestling manager looked at a potential scenario where Tony's father would take away his checkbook and fire him.

"I guess technically, the only person that could fire Tony Khan would be his father [Shahid Khan], right? [..] So well, it would take a while [for AEW to go out of business] yet because they've still got money coming in. They got the rights fees and everything. So, it could be like that the TNA situation where when mom and dad cut Dixie [Carter] off. They struggled along for a few years, owing more and more money or cutting more and more expenses or begging more and more people to f*****g do more and more things. But finally, they hit the wall, and all that s**t took place," Cornette said. [From 0:57 to 01:48]

Cornette's comments came after Bloomberg previously profiled Tony and his wrestling company. In that piece, Tony recalled a time when his father suggested he was just blowing his inheritance.

Do you think the former Sasha Banks will help All Elite Wrestling overall? How would you book her debut? Sound off in the comments below!