Tony Schiavone started his wrestling broadcasting career in 1983. Once WCW was purchased by WWE in 2001, however, he found himself on the outside of the business. He spent several years working as a sports anchor on the radio covering the Georgia Bulldogs and the Atlanta Braves minor league system.
In 2015, Schiavone began working at Starbucks to supplement his income from sports broadcasting, something Britt Baker has mentioned on AEW programming. He’d return to wrestling broadcasting in 2017 with MLW and then in 2019 with AEW.
During a recent interview with SI.com, Schiavone says his time with AEW has been the best of his career. He also noted how pleased he is with how fans have responded to his return.
“It’s been the best two and a half years of my career,” Schiavone said. “It’s worth your weight in gold to work for good people, and it’s a pleasure to work here. And I can’t stress this enough—the acceptance of the fans for my return has been mind-blowing. So for me, it’s really easy doing what I do because I love it so much.”
“It almost makes me numb how much people care about me,” Schiavone continued. “I never thought I’d be back in wrestling. It’s like I was reintroduced to an old love. Wrestling fans welcomed me home, and I’m forever grateful.”
Butts In Seats
A kickstarter for a biographical graphic novel on Tony Schiavone’s career raised over $135,000. The book, titled “Butts in Seats”, is currently available for pre-order. Schiavone spoke about what fans can expect from it.
“This is my story of loving wrestling as a fan, getting involved with the Crocketts, working with Ted Turner, spending a year with WWE, then being out of the business for 18 years before coming back.”
