Former WWE head writer defends Tony Schiavone's pick for the best wrestler of all time (Exclusive)

AEW commentator Tony Schiavone has been one of the great personalities of the wrestling business for decades, having plied his trade for numerous wrestling promotions. The 67-year-old started his career with Jim Crockett Promotions, and has since appeared for WWE, WCW, MLW and been with AEW since its inception.

Former WWE writer Vince Russo, who has worked with Schiavone in the past, has come out to speak in defense of the commentator. The 67-year-old recently claimed in an interview that in the many years he's been active in the wrestling business, Bryan Danielson is the best wrestler he's ever worked with.

Speaking during the latest edition of Writing with Russo on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Vince Russo defended Schiavone's claim of Bryan being the best. While Russo doesn't hold the same belief himself, he did state that it wasn't a bold statement from Tony Schiavone.

"Nobody respects Tony more than I do. And God, bro, how many people have really seen more wrestling than Tony Schiavone? I don't think that's a bold statement at all. If that's the way, you know, Tony feels, that's the way Tony feels, bro," Russo said. [From 1:41 onwards]

Bryan Danielson is one of the best wrestlers on the AEW roster. The American Dragon joined the promotion back in 2021 and has had an incredibly successful stint in the Jacksonville-based promotion. During his tenure, he's gotten a chance to work with some of the best wrestlers from around the world, won the AEW World Championship, and was the winner of the 2024 Owen Hart Cup.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Brandon Nell