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WWE and AEW have gone at it on Wednesday nights, with WWE's NXT show going head-to-head with AEW Dynamite. The two have been neck and neck, with Dynamite getting a little more viewership than NXT.
The competition between the two companies has not only been about supremacy in terms of ratings, but also for signing personnel, be it up-and-coming stars, veteran wrestlers, or even backstage personalities and commentators.
AEW commentator Tony Schiavone was signed by the company last year as part of the commentary team, alongside WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross. Schiavone, who was previously a part of WCW, recently revealed on his show What Happened When with Tony Schiavone that WWE tried signing Schiavone after the found out that AEW were interested in signing him.
How WWE tried to stop Tony Schiavone from joining AEW
Schiavone revealed that he was offered a job with WWE, but the company were unsure as to how they would use him. He revealed that he figured out that WWE's offer was only to keep him away from joining AEW.
“They were very sketchy about it. 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.' I was talking to Bruce (Prichard) and I think Bruce was shooting with me that he didn’t know. Now it’s pretty apparent what was going on and I don’t blame Bruce for it. But, 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.” (H/T WrestlingNews)
Schiavone worked with WWE at the start of his career between 1989 and 1990, before becoming a mainstay with WCW.
