Tony Schiavone On 3-Man Commentary Teams & His Return to Wrestling

Tony Schiavone recently spoke with Mike Killam of ProWrestling.com about his return to wrestling, 3 man commentary booths, and more…

His thoughts on three-man commentary teams & why WWE can’t seem to get them right: “I always thought that myself, Mike Tenay and Bobby Heenan as a three-man team clicked very well. I go back and I listen to myself, Heenan and Dusty [Rhodes], and I think that it worked too. The reason I think it worked is because we were three distinct personalities. I never once wanted it to be The Tony Show. I always thought I was the guy that directs the ship in the right direction, and Heenan and Bobby would add the color, or the entertainment value. I think we all worked together, and I didn’t have a problem with it at all. I don’t have a problem with a three-man team, but they gotta have well-defined roles. I’m not so sure they have well-defined roles in WWE. We were able to do our own thing without being told what to say, and without being screamed at. I’ve heard that they get screamed at, or talked down to, but I don’t think you can do your job when you feel the pressure of somebody trying to browbeat you, or coach you, or whatever. If they let three people do their own stuff, the announcers should know the storylines. They live it. They see it every day. They should know what’s going on, and you shouldn’t have to tell them what to say, or how to say it. But who am I to say, because [Vince] has a multi-billion dollar corporation, so he’s obviously doing something right.”

His reaction to the wrestling world after coming back in 2017 after years away from the business: “I didn’t keep up with wrestling at all. When Conrad and I started doing the podcast, I hadn’t watched any wrestling at all. I remember watching the 2017 Royal Rumble — I used Conrad’s password on the Network. That was the first wrestling I watched since I walked away from it. I came back thinking, “Wow, things have changed.’ As far as the pace of the matches, what makes a good match, the audience, and of course the fan interactions. I kind of realized that what was ECW has kind of stood the test of time, at least more than the old school Jim Crockett Promotions, WCW style. I slowly got into it, and what’s going on with the indies and with MLW. I think it’s a great time for wrestling, and I think most people would agree. Even though Vince [McMahon] feels like he’s shut everybody down, he really hasn’t. There’s a lot out there to turn to.”