What’s the story?
After a quiet few years, the voice of Monday Nitro has returned to the pro wrestling promotional circuit. Tony Schiavone recently launched a new podcast by the name of ’What Happened When’ and as such has followed up a Reddit AMA with an interview with Sporting News.
In case you didn’t know...
Tony Schiavone might not be as well-known as ‘Good Ol’ JR’ Jim Ross, but the man from Craigsville, Virginia was every bit as important to the Monday Night Wars as his more celebrated peer. Schiavone was the lead announcer on WCW Monday Nitro and was known for his real sports-style and hyperbolic statements, frequently referring to events as ‘monumental’ and ‘the greatest’.
During his time away from the squared circle, Schiavone has made a living as a sports broadcaster, acting as the morning sports anchor for radio stations in both Gainesville and Atlanta.
The heart of the matter
Schiavone was asked about his brief run in what was then the WWF and the fallout from his one-year tenure in the company way back in 1989-1990.
Schiavone stated that Vince McMahon was furious about Tony’s decision to leave after just a year, and it is this that he feels put him on WWE’s blacklist. Schiavone says that he now feels it was the wrong decision and that Vince has always been civil with him, but added that it is this decision that could be to blame for the lack of interaction between WWE and Tony Schiavone.
What’s next?
Time heals everything in the wrestling business, and could Schiavone’s return to wrestling alongside various admissions of guilt and sorrow lead to him working with WWE again further down the line?
A full-time job is unthinkable but there is every chance Schiavone could be brought in to work on WCW related content. He may even be a candidate for the WWE Hall of Fame at some point.
Sportskeeda’s take
The 1990 Royal Rumble is one of the first WWF pay-per-views we remember watching, and as such we will always remember and respect the work of Tony Schiavone. We wish Tony all the success with his new podcast.
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