All Elite Wrestling commentator Tony Schiavone has opened up about WWE approaching him prior to signing with AEW. Schiavone shared his story during an “Ask Tony Anything” segment on his show, What Happened When with Tony Schiavone and Conrad Thompson.
When asked why he ultimately signed with AEW over WWE, Schiavone explained how WWE was “very sketchy” about the position he would have within the promotion.
“They said we just want you to come to work here. We need more people here who have a strong wrestling background to help out. Well, what would I do? Well, you would just work with us.”
He shared how he spoke to Bruch Prichard about the role, and believes that Prichard was “shooting” with him when he confessed he didn’t know what position he would have. Looking back on it, Schiavone added how it’s “pretty apparent” what WWE was trying to do and that he doesn’t blame Prichard for his part in it.
“[…] they wanted to get me so AEW wouldn’t get me and they would have run me out the door right after Eric Bischoff or before. I’m not blaming Bruce but I get it. I know what Vince (McMahon) was thinking.”
All Elite Wrestling announcer Tony Schiavone has revealed what he believes is the dumbest thing he’s ever said. His revelation comes after WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley poked fun at Schiavone following this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
Foley uploaded a photo of himself watching the show, writing, “EPIC stuff from @KennyOmegamanX & @BASTARDPAC on @AEWrestling Yes, I’m channel surfing. It’s a good time to be a wrestling fan. Did @tonyschiavone24 just insult PAC after that amazing match? Could be the second dumbest thing Tony has ever said!”
Schiavone then jumped in, replying to Foley. He admitted how his recent comments were only the third dumbest thing he’s ever said. He then listed the other two:
“Third dumbest. 1.) Yes Vince, I’ll come to work for you 2.) Yes, I’ll move to Connecticut”
Third dumbest. 1.) Yes Vince, I’ll come to work for you 2.) Yes, I’ll move to Connecticut https://t.co/0KmnRhy4WB
Although Tony Schiavone worked for the then-WWF for a stint in the ‘90s, he is best known for his work in WCW. Since WCW, he also provided commentary for Major League Wrestling, prior to his signing with AEW.
There was a time that he was hired by coffee chain Starbucks. This history has been turned into an angle on AEW Dynamite, with Dr. Britt Baker often mocking him for his previous job role.
Tony Schiavone is the co-host of two popular podcasts. He hosts What Happened When along with Conrad Thompson. Last week, AEW launched the new AEW Unrestricted podcast, which features Tony and referee Aubrey Edwards interviewing AEW talent.
All Elite Wrestling’s Tony Schiavone has shared his uncertainty that AEW will ever “be as big as WWE” in an interview with Sportskeeda. He pointed to the WWE Network and the sheer longevity WWE has enjoyed since its inception. Rather than directly competing with the promotion, Schiavone revealed he’d prefer for AEW to become a “viable part of wrestling.”
“I don’t know if AEW will ever be as big as the WWE; with a Network, and the reach that they have overseas, because WWE has been around for a long time,” Schiavone explained. “But I’d like to see it be a viable part of wrestling [and] I’d like it to be a place where very good professional wrestlers – both men and women – can come and make a good living, and be treated fairly… that’s what I’d like AEW to be.”
Although Tony Schiavone worked for the then-WWF for a stint in the ‘90s, he is best known for his work in WCW. Since WCW, he also provided commentary for Major League Wrestling, prior to his signing with AEW.
There was a time that he was hired by coffee chain Starbucks. This history has been turned into an angle on AEW Dynamite, with Dr. Britt Baker often mocking him for his previous job role.
Tony Schiavone is the co-host of two popular podcasts. He hosts What Happened When along with Conrad Thompson. Last week, AEW launched the new AEW Unrestricted podcast, which features Tony and referee Aubrey Edwards interviewing AEW talent.
Several MLW-contracted wrestlers have become regular members of the AEW roster. Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Brian Pillman Jr and a few others have appeared on multiple AEW shows while still being under contract with Major League Wrestling. Announcer Tony Shiavone is now also in that group.
MLW’s Court Bauer addressed the relationship between the two promotions on a recent media call.
“People probably want there to be some animosity between our two organizations as that is kind of the history of wrestling where you have to go to war and stuff, that there has to be some weird tension but there isn’t here,” Bauer said in regard to the relationship between AEW and MLW.
“Funny story, I’ve been interviewed by the media once or twice and I’ve been given these loaded questions where [they were hoping] I would smash AEW, but my response has always been to give my genuine feelings and fondness towards Tony, Cody, and the guys. Guess what? They never ran those quotes! I guess it’s not as sexy, but the truth was I really want those guys to succeed.”
Bauer would continue to say he wants both promotions to succeed.
“I want AEW and MLW to succeed. It shows that there is a bigger world beyond our industry that shares the market that is completely valuable in appeal that isn’t WWE. For twenty years, frankly, probably longer, WWE has had a massive, massive dip on the market share and for media rights, licensing, you name it, they have owned it in the wrestling space and that narrative needs to change. If we’re not successful, that’s bad for the fans, the talent, the crew, and the health of our business.”
Transcriptions via ProWrestlingStories.
The full interview can be listed to in the player below:
MLW vs AEW War?
Bauer also addressed the possibility of a MLW vs AEW storyline happening someday.
“Is there going to be some big world war between promotions? Maybe that’s where this goes, maybe it doesn’t. Are there other strategic alliances? Maybe there are, maybe there aren’t, but I know that the fans will enjoy that so the media, and maybe a few companies, but I really have to say Tony [Khan] is a great guy, so is Cody. I genuinely like all of those guys. Right now it’s been great.”
Jim Cornette Gone From MLW
Bauer also addressed Jim Cornette’s role in MLW. Bauer noted that Cornette does not have any further dates booked with the promotion.
“Jim came in to pitch in for a certain amount of dates when Tony [Schiavone] could not make his commitments that were carved out in his contract. Jim fulfilled his last date with us on July 6th so, as of right now, we don’t have any future dates with Jim.”
We have another update regarding which broadcasters will be calling the action when AEW premieres on TNT in just over a month.
On Monday, AEW sent in confirmation that Tony Schiavone has signed a full-time, multi-year deal with the company. Schiavone will serve as a Senior Producer of AEW events. The press release stated that Schiavone joins “AEW’s television broadcast team of Jim Ross and Excalibur,” but that does not mean it will be these three men doing commentary for each week of AEW on TNT.
AEW’s plans for the commentary team have been “in flux” and a work in progress. However, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer states that the current plan is for Jim Ross, Excalibur and “Golden Boy” Alex Mendez to comprise AEW’s 3-man booth. The trio worked together at AEW Fyter Fest.
In addition to the JR, Excalibur and Goldenboy, AEW has lined up a top flight crew of on-air broadcasters for its upcoming television series.
Tony Schiavone is not scheduled to be at AEW All Out this weekend, but will be present for most weeks of television. AEW’s Wednesday taping schedule allows Schiavone to fulfill his other obligations calling college football, minor league baseball and doing wrestling commentary for Major League Wrestling (MLW).
Expect to see Schiavone as on-air talent. He might do some backstage interviews, “control center” content and may sit in for select matches, but not part of the core commentary team.
Alex Marvez will be at All Out. He’s been featured on AEW’s Road To All Out digital series, but for now he’s been rotated off commentary.
Popular YouTube stars Chris Van Vliet and Alicia Atout are also on board for backstage interview duties.
All Elite Wrestling sent in a statement confirming that Tony Schiavone has signed a full-time multi-year deal with upstart promotion.
The former “Voice of WCW” will join Jim Ross and Excalibur as part of the AEW television broadcast team. Schiavone will also serve as a Senior Producer for AEW events.
AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes had the following to say about Schiavone joining the team:
“Tony ‘The Silver Tongue’ Schiavone was the lead voice of pro wrestling at a time when it was dominating the globe. It’s a pleasure to have him join AEW as a senior producer and member of the broadcast team. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a UGA fan either. I think Tony is one of the most underrated lead men with the narrative of pro wrestling there’s ever been. I’m thrilled to get into the studio with him. Let’s welcome Tony to All Elite Wrestling.”
In addition to his work with AEW, Schiavone will continue his role as producer for the University of Georgia Football and Baseball Network, and will call the play-by-play for the Atlanta Braves’ Triple A team, the Gwinnett Stripers.
Legendary wrestling announcer Tony Schiavone is gearing up for a return to Major League Wrestling (MLW).
Schiavone was an integral part of the MLW broadcast team, but had to step aside earlier this year due to scheduling issues. When MLW moved its television tapings from Thursdays to Saturdays, Tony had a conflict with his other broadcasting obligations (baseball).
MLW announced Tony Schiavone returns to the broadcast booth this summer. He’ll call the action with Rich Bocchini at MLW: Never Say Never on Thursday, July 25th from New York City’s Melrose Ballroom.
In a statement sent in to SEScoops.com, MLW CEO Court Bauer said, “Just like the fans, I’ve been hoping for Tony’s return and this summer it happens. Tony is one of the most talented broadcasters in the sport.”
Visit MLWTickets.com for details on how you can attend this event and MLW’s other upcoming shows from the Chicago and Dallas areas.
Tony Schiavone and Conrad Thompson host the popular What Happened When podcast each week on the MLW Radio Network.
MLW FUSION airs on beIN SPORTS Saturday nights at 9pm EST / 6pm PST.
Major League Wrestling (MLW) announcer Tony Schiavone was Jim Ross’ guest on the latest edition of The Jim Ross Report podcast.
During the discussion, JR asked Tony what he thinks about All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Tony mentioned how they’ve both known Cody since he was a young kid and said Cody has a great business sense. He talks to Cody a great deal and took a moment to address speculation that he will be involved in AEW.
Tony said, “I’m not going to AEW. I’ve got too much going on and I don’t want to. Cody and I were doing some work for Starrcast, because I’m doing some work behind the scenes with Conrad. That was a misnomer out there … I ain’t doing that. I’ve got too much going on in my life, I really do.”
He added that he is still under contract with MLW, although Jim Cornette has filled in for him during MLW’s recent TV tapings due to scheduling issues.
After setting the record straight that he has no current plans to work with AEW, Schiavone gave his thoughts on the upstart promotion. He also dropped an interesting piece of information about AEW bringing in a major name we have not yet heard about.
“I think Cody is a smart kid and the Bucks obviously have made quite a name for themselves,” Schiavone said. “Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho, I just think this is a great time for pro wrestling. They’re going to do some great things in wrestling, including bringing in somebody who has a great, great national name for himself, and I’ll just let it go with that. They’re doing things the right way and I’m pretty excited for them.”
JR and Tony both said they’re excited for any company that can provide more of their friends a payday.
Tony Schiavone is one of the best professional wrestling commentators of all time. He is better known for his work during the Monday Night Wars for WCW. Now, while still doing broadcast work, Schiavone hosts his podcast, “What Happened When.” During a recent episode of the podcast, Schiavone did a Q&A with his listeners. One fan asked Schiavone which match he wishes he could’ve called that he never got to.
Schiavone named The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 18 back in March of 2002. The match was one of the biggest of its time, as it featured the old face of the company, Hogan, against the current mega-star of the professional wrestling world, The Rock. Schiavone said he would’ve loved to call the match, especially because he never called a Rock match before:
“I would have loved to have called the [Hulk] Hogan [vs.] Rock from WrestleMania match,” said Schiavone. “I think that would have been a lot of fun. Talking about the history of Hulk Hogan, and being in Toronto, and I never got to call a Rock match. I really think [calling] that match would have been great.”
For those of you who don’t know, Schiavone actually did have a brief WWE run before his time with WCW. He worked for the promotion from 1989 to 1990, calling events such as SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble. However, he eventually returned to WCW, staying with the company until its collapse in 2001.
Would you have liked Schiavone to have called The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 18?
Following his return to the announcer’s table at last week’s MLW: One-Shot event from Orlando, MLW has confirmed that Tony Schiavone will be calling the action at their next show, MLW: Never Say Never.
Schiavone be joined by his One-Shot broadcast partner, the former Voice of NXT, Rich Bocchini.
While no matches have been announced for Never Say Never as of this writing, Matt Riddle vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor appears to be in the works. Lawlor called out Matt Riddle after his win over Jeff Cobb at One-Shot and Riddle is confirmed to be in talks about appearing at the next show.
MLW: Never Say Never takes place on Thursday, December 7th from Gilt Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
Tony Schiavone praised WWE Superstar The Miz earlier today on Twitter. The Miz responded to a tweet sent out by WWE’s account that stated The Miz made his debut over a decade ago. The Miz said that people doubting him is what fueled him to make it this long and that he still fights for respect. Schiavone responded to The Miz and said that the WWE is lucky to have him.
Xaiver Woods is at DragonCon in Atlanta, Georgia this weekend. Woods dressed up as Bayley during the event and danced around. He was then interrupted by someone dressed up as Sasha Banks that shoved him aside.
WWE has released a new Top 10 list on their YouTube channel. The list highlights times in WWE where a Superstar accidentally struck someone that they were not intending to. Big Show knocking over AJ Lee, Macho Man hitting the Elbow Drop on Rick Steiner, Goldberg accidentally Spearing Stone Cold Steve Austin and more are included on the list. You can check out the entire top 10 list in the video below.
Tony Schiavone, former WCW announcer, was interviewed by WAVY-TV recently. Schiavone is currently the play-by-play broadcaster for the Gwinnett Braves, a minor league baseball team in Georgia. Schiavone also revealed that he is training to be a barista at Starbucks, due to having time on his hands and the benefits the company offers.
– WAVY-TV recently spoke to former WCW announcer Tony Schiavone at this link. Schiavone still works for the Gwinnett Braves minor league baseball team and does work with the Georgia Bulldogs baseball and basketball teams. He told them that he’s also training to be a Starbucks barista:
“To add to all of that, and not many people know this, I’m training to be a barista at Starbucks. The reason I’m doing that is because they have great benefits, it’s a great place to work, I’ve always loved Starbucks. I’ve got time and I want to fill up my time working, I really do, I want to stay busy.”
– Below is more video from the “WWE 24” documentary on Seth Rollins, which airs after Raw on the WWE Network this Monday:
– Cesaro mentions that his shoulder is still not 100% in this new Tapout promo:
– Former WWE performer Nick “Big Bully” Busick underwent surgery on Friday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for esophagus cancer. T-shirts are being sold at BullyStrongShirts.com to help with Busick’s medical costs.
– Jim Ross’ former on-air partner in WCW, Tony Schiavone, will be his guest on next week’s edition of the “Ross Report” podcast, which will be available on Tuesday night at 9pm EST. at PodcastOne.com.
– WWE Diva and off-and-on Total Divas star Cameron appeared on BET’s “Lift Every Voice” program with Fonzworth Bentley on Sunday morning to discuss her journey to success in WWE. Below is a photo of Cameron with the Bentley.
The following are highlights of the latest Jim Ross blog:
On the success of his Ross Report podcast: “We have had amazing success in the podcast world as of late with the Sting podcast being downloaded well over a million times which should bell any one doing market research that the wrestling public, in a large part, want to see the Stinger in a WWE ring. I’m still of the mindset that Sting only needs to do one match, a retirement match vs. The Undertaker at WM31 of which Taker wins and then faces the WWE Champion at WM32 in a title vs. retirement match in AT&T Stadium aka Jerry’s World in Arlington, Texas. Taker wins that one too and then retires the next night on RAW leaving the WWE Title vacant which would see a tournament utilized to determine the new champion.”
“This bit of fantasy booking that I first dropped on our Ross Report podcast weeks ago is obviously dependent on Taker’s health of which I do not know the status.”
“We received some of our most favorable feedback on my recent conversation with @TonySchiavone24 on our podcast which I truly appreciate but most of all I enjoyed reconnecting with Tony after all these years. We’ve bowed to stay in contact with each other as our tomorrow’s aren’t guaranteed.”
On Jake Roberts’ health: “Speaking of the DDT our best get well wishes go out to WWE HOFer Jake Roberts who’s hospitalized in Las Vegas with double pneumonia. Here’s hoping that Jake makes a full recovery. His podcast appearance on the Ross Report was one of our best down and dirty, tell it like it is shows we’ve done.”
On Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena: “Regarding Cena, I’d love to see him begin to have a mat metamorphous as he prepares to go to battle with Brock again. That could come in the form of dead serious promos, ring attire tweaks, in ring actions which could be as simple as getting himself disqualified by physically abusing a referee or even confronting his biggest ally Michael Cole. A sit down with Cole and Cena with Cena going off would get fan’s attention.”
“I do feel that a change in Cena’s persona leading into NOC is needed and to not do something would be a mistake.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
– The latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, which features an interview with Batista, is now online. The official description for the show reads as follows:
TIJ – EP68 – Batista Pt. 1
“He’s Drax in “Guardians Of The Galaxy.” He’s a former WWE World Champion. And he looks damn good in skinny jeans…despite the reports on twitter! Batista sits down with Y2J. He’s got stories from the set of “Guardians,” details about the Drax makeup, and thoughts on leaving WWE and his most recent return. He’s also talking Royal Rumble, Daniel Bryan, and Wrestlemania 30.”
– The latest edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast, which features an interview with Tony Schiavone, is now online. The official description for that show reads as follows:
TRR – Ep28 – Tony Schiavone
“Tony Schiavone steered the Monday Nitro ship for WCW, spent a brief year in WWE, got his start with Jim Crockett Promotions… and joins Good Ole JR to relive it all. He’s also speaking candidly about Bobby Heenan, Vince Russo, and Ed Ferrara, and sharing details about what happened behind-the-scenes the night NWO debuted!”
– And finally, the latest edition of Steve Austin’s “Steve Austin Show” podcast, which features an interview with Jim Ross, is now online. The official description for that show reads as follows:
SASc – EP145 – Jim Ross
“Steve Austin and Jim Ross are talkin’ rasslin’… today’s rasslin’! Hear why they think Paul Heyman may be the best talker EVER in the history of the business, what John Cena needs to do in his rematch against Brock Lesnar, why Bray Wyatt is actually a character babyface and not a heel, where Sting will end his wrestling career, who should challenge Roman Reigns, and when JR knew something was fishy in Montreal! Plus, a RAW breakdown, some fantasy booking, and what to do with the IC Belt.”
– Jim Ross’ guest on this week’s edition of the “Ross Report” podcast, which drops at PodcastOne.com late Tuesday night, will be former WCW announcer Tony Schiavone.
– Below is the latest edition of WWE Top 10, which looks at the ten most historical WWE Intercontinental Championship victories.
– Vince McMahon ended up making the trip to London, England for WWE RAW tonight. As previously reported, McMahon — along with company executive George Barrios — held a conference call earlier today to react to the recent WWE stock decline following the announcement of the company’s new agreement with NBCUniversal. McMahon did the call from London, while Barrios was in Stamford, CT.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross has recently listed the following stars as future guests on his “Ross Report” podcast, which airs every Tuesday night at PodcastOne.com: Michelle Beadle of ESPN, Eric Bischoff, Bill Goldberg, Ted DiBiase, MVP, Lance Storm, Kurt Angle, Bully Ray, Sting, AJ Styles and Tony Schiavone.
The following are highlights from the latest Jim Ross blog.
On Paul Heyman and Cesaro: “Not sure why as a fan I should dislike Cesaro and it can’t be simply because he’s aligned himself with Paul Heyman. Cesaro simply outwrestles people and is damned impressive while doing it. Some of Cesaro’s matches down in NXT the last year or so were better than anyone on Raw was having at the time.”
On TNA: “Seems like TNA is signing their core talents whose contracts are either up or in need of revising. WWE has seemingly made it clear that they have no interest in Impact talents and will instead reply on their Performance Center for their future stars. However, with Jeff Jarrett preparing to launch another promotion it makes sense for TNA to be proactive.”
On his Ross Report podcast: “Talked to both Cowboy Bill Watts and Tony Schiavone Monday about coming on future Ross Report Podcasts. We’re working on the schedules now. ESPN’s Robert Flores goes live on the Ross Report later today. RoFlo is a life long fan who grew up on Paul Boesch’s Houston Wrestling and has never missed watching a WrestleMania. It’s a great listen and provides a unique prospective from a world class broadcaster especially if any one is interested in that facet of the wrestling biz. You can download my podcasts for free at podcastone.com and via iTunes. I really enjoyed visiting with Robert and think that you will enjoy our conversation.”
– Former WCW announcer Tony Schiavone was at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut a few weeks ago, most likely to be interviewed for future WCW projects on the WWE Network or DVD release.
Schiavone has been fielding a lot of wrestling-related questions and comments on Twitter and noted that he’s had a huge increase in people tweeting him since the launch of the WWE Network. When asked why he left WWE back in 1990 and jumped to WCW, he made this interesting comment:
@DJSeanmoney I left in 1990 because of a great offer from WCW. It was a big mistake.