With TNA’s first episode of “iMPACT” on AMC taking place this Thursday, many within the wrestling industry have started to predict the viewership that the debut show will draw on the cable network, and WWE Hall Of Famer Eric Bischoff was next to outline his expectations for TNA’s first rating during a recent edition of “83 Weeks.” 

“It’s just a wild guess without seeing any promotion outside of the network for it. I would say, AEW’s now right around 600,000 on average, right? Roughly. I think they’ll be in the 350,000 range, maybe four. That’s my guess.” 

Bischoff continued by expressing his disappointment towards the advertisement for TNA on the AMC network, having compared it to AEW’s promotional strategy on TBS, which he believes is a successful model.

“That’s one thing I’ll say about AEW and their relationship with Turner, there’s a hell of a lot of promotion across Turner, all the way across the Turner platforms for AEW and it’s being done, quite frankly, the way it should be done. But if AMC hasn’t really quite made that bet, they’re not really quite interested in going too far promoting it … and that to me is also a telltale sign is how invested is the network really? Are they just rolling a dice and throwing it up against the wall to see if it’s going to stick or are they invested in making it work?”

Somebody who could definitely help TNA achieve a strong rating this Thursday is WWE star AJ Styles, who was announced for the show last week. At this time, it’s yet to be confirmed if Styles will just be making an appearance, or if he’ll be lacing up his boots for the promotion for the first time since 2013. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “83 Weeks” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.