"I've got one more contract in me" - AEW veteran addresses future retirement

Since its founding in 2019, AEW has spotlighted many veterans and legends of the wrestling business who had fallen by the wayside in previous years. The biggest comeback was arguably that of legendary commentator Tony Schiavone.

Tony Schiavone built his legacy as the voice of WCW Monday Nitro. The 66-year-old was a celebrated name in the wrestling industry, with the likes of WWE Hall of Famer Adam Copeland (fka Edge) referring to him as the "soundtrack" to his childhood.

After several years of dwindling opportunities in sports broadcasting, Tony Schiavone has become a major force in AEW alongside Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Taz. He currently acts as the color commentator for Wednesday's Dynamite, play-by-play commentator for Saturday's Collision, and a senior producer backstage.

On the latest episode of his What Happened When podcast, the wrestling icon addressed his age and future plans with the company:

"I would say, ‘Hi everybody, welcome to another episode of [makes croaking sound]. Yeah [when Thompson asked if he would die in the seat]. That doesn’t mean I’m gonna be 80 when I do it. I don’t think I’m slowing down. I just don’t think I’m slowing down. I’m really honored that Tony [Khan] would allow me to do play-by-play again at this stage in my life. Right now, I’m 66. I turned 66 on November 7th. I still got…realistically, I think I’ve got one more contract in me, if Tony will go with that, and then we’ll see what happens."

Schiavone further confirmed his commitment to AEW, revealing that he'll be present in whatever role Tony Khan needs him for:

"I just don’t envision myself retiring. That’s why, when we started doing [AEW Collision], and this is before Tony put me on the broadcast team, Tony told me, he said, ‘We’re gonna start doing a Saturday show.’ He said, ‘You don’t have to come.’ He said, ‘We can have two different crews. I’m the only one who’s gotta come.’ I said, ‘Tony, I’m going to be here every day for you. I’ll be here on Wednesdays, and I’ll be here on Saturdays.’ It’s a case of just being away two nights out of the week. He said, ‘Okay.’ But then I got to thinking, it’s like, if I’m not doing it, what am I gonna do? Just sit at home and do nothing? That’s not me at all." [h/t EWrestlingNews]

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Eric Bischoff is concerned about Tony Schiavone being present on so much of AEW's programming

Eric Bischoff is well acquainted with Tony Schiavone, as the two worked together for a decade in WCW. On a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff lavished his former coworker with praise but also revealed some concerns about his schedule in All Elite Wrestling.

The former WCW Senior Vice President expressed his worries about fatigue when the "newness" of Schiavone's presence on Collision wears off:

"It’s not whether or not he can do the job or should do the job or anything like that. Let’s see where it is four months from now. Six months from now, when the newness of it wears off... You know, it’s not an easy job. Play-by-play and color, if it’s done well, is a really difficult job that takes a lot out of you mentally and physically if you’re doing it right... And I’m just a little concerned that Tony’s going to get physically and mentally fatigued. And the combination of that and the overexposure is going to create audience fatigue. You know, at some point, those two things meet and it’s not good.”

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