There's no denying that Dave Meltzer is an incredible pro wrestling historian, but he's become an increasingly divisive figure in recent years. Much of that is related to his unwavering passion for all things AEW, with a lot of fans convinced he's biased due to a friendship with The Elite and preferential treatment from Tony Khan.
WWE doesn't really take Meltzer seriously, whereas AEW welcomes him like a real journalist and allegedly even seeks out his creative input now and again.
There are many people within the professional wrestling world who don't take Meltzer or his star ratings seriously, though plenty of others revere him. As for former WCW boss and WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff, he appears to have nothing but disdain for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter scribe.
Talking on his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff blamed Meltzer for worsening the tension between CM Punk and AEW/The Elite prior to his shock firing.
"I have spent a lot of time shredding - exposing - Dave Meltzer for what he is. I'm sick of hearing myself say it, but Dave Meltzer is horrible - always has been - for the wrestling business," Bischoff said. "I do believe that Meltzer is horrible for this industry, his behavior, his personality, the flaws in his character."
"For whatever reason, Dave seems to thrive by spreading 'rumor,' 'innuendo,' 'lies,' call them what you want, and usually does so in favor of people he either has a relationship with or wants to have a relationship with. I didn't believe any of the nonsense that I heard out of Dave Meltzer with regard to CM Punk."
"They were adding fuel to the fire. I firmly believe that," he continues. "I understand how it can happen when you've got a piece of garbage like Dave Meltzer constantly stirring things up and presenting his side."
Bischoff would go on to say this has been typical of Meltzer for the past few decades, hence why he's always taken issue with him. While the historian does have plenty of reliable sources, there's no denying that his coverage from the start has been very pro-The Elite and extremely anti-CM Punk.
Plus, due to Meltzer's close relationship with Khan, it's easy enough to imagine him being fed the information AEW wants out there. Of course, that's purely speculative and we're unlikely to learn more about the situation until Punk (also no fan of Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez) chooses to speak out.
Stay tuned for updates.