Since the launch of AEW – All Elite Wrestling in 2019, they have hosted two of the most legendary commentators of all time–Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross. The two “Monday Night Wars” commentators have added a level of credibility and value to AEW‘s broadcast team for three consecutive years.
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Tony Khan, who recently took over as the new head of the WWE, has said he handles Ross differently than the other commentators since they were both former employees of the WWE. Ross and Schiavone have both been outspoken in some way about how they disliked Vince’s style during his time as their boss.
In regards to the quality of their announcing, Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone are two of the best in the business. Unlike Jim, who attempts to be himself rather than what he is trying to be as a broadcaster, for me, I find it difficult to communicate with him. Out of the three commentators on Raw, I engage with Tony and Excalibur the most because they’re very hands-on and involved with my process, which I tend to do more so with producers or wrestlers than with Jim.
“I think Jim, since it’s not the way he’s managed best, I don’t try to manage him that way and it’s easier to try and make a point, a talking point, get across whatever it needs to be. A story, a moment, something that’s happened, something that’s going to happen going forward, whatever we need to hit in that moment, I can often address it with Jim but Jim’s in the zone, in the flow. It’s easy to also talk to Tony and (Excalibur).”
Schiavone transitioned into other avenues after the Monday Night Wars, but only recently came back to wrestling in 2019 when Khan called to ask him for help with AEW. The key difference between Ross and Schiavone is that Ross continued to call matches across different companies while Schiavone did not transition into other avenues of entertainment.
Although wrestling announcers are important, they offer perspective and information to the audience. Because Scott Khan mentioned the importance of these voices, Tony Schiavone gained popularity again.
“The more you listened to him talk about how much he misses wrestling and how much he wants to be in it, wants to work all the time, and these are all things I’ve found to be true over the years. That he wants to help the young announcers, that he wants to produce other people’s segments and give insights when he’s not on the screen, all of these things are true. The more I thought about these things, the more I realized he’s a perfect fit for us … We’re very fortunate to have these legendary announcers that bring great insights and add a lot to the show.”
The commentary team returns this weekend at AEW “Double or Nothing” wrestling event, and according to most recent reports, the current trio is expected to stay intact until at least 2024.
