"What the f**k are you talking about?" – 65-year-old legendary figure reacts to rumors of retiring from Tony Khan's AEW
AEW has picked up some of the biggest names in wrestling, both on-screen and backstage, fostering a roster with a ton of potential. The legendary Tony Schiavone was rumored to be on his way out but has now firmly debunked the story.
Tony Schiavone has quickly become one of the most integral parts of All Elite Wrestling, featuring not only on the commentary team but also in numerous backstage interviews and breaking announcements. This has led to the veteran becoming synonymous with AEW, making his potential departure shocking.
During the latest What Happened When podcast, Schiavone addressed rumors that he was stepping away very soon.
“Adam Demois, I talked to him yesterday on our bonus podcast. He said, ‘So you’re retiring huh?’ I went, 'What the f**k are you talking about?’ Apparently, one day I was tired, and I said, ‘Man I’m just tired. Maybe I’ll just do a podcast with you and do video games for the rest of my life."
@The_MJF You leave Tony Shiavone alone!!!! https://t.co/buZj5Ap9DQ
Schiavone continued, firmly declaring that he's happy at All Elite Wrestling and doesn't have plans to retire soon.
“I said I know you and your readers hate me, that’s fine. But I have no plans to step away from announcing. Listen, I’m the luckiest guy in the world. So why would I leave? I’m doing great, thank you for asking. Hope you are well too.” (H/T: WrestlingInc.)
Schiavone's son, Matt, was also recently hired by AEW in a backstage role, meaning that even if Tony does step away sometime soon, there will still be another Schiavone in All Elite Wrestling.
Missed out on last week's AEW Dynamite or Rampage? Catch up with the results right here.
Tony Schiavone recently revealed that he is far more involved in running AEW than fans realize
Outside of All Elite Wrestling, Schiavone is notoriously remembered for announcing Mick Foley's 1998 WWF Championship win while commentating in WCW, resulting in numerous viewers changing the channel. Despite this, the veteran has managed to reinvent himself almost entirely.
This is Tony Schiavone's greatest call in his whole career.
The amount of people that switched over to see Mick Foley win the WWF Championship was the greatest moment in the Monday Night Wars. twitter.com/WrestleClips/s… https://t.co/DNogSMGH9h
During an episode of the On Demand: Ask Tony Anything podcast, Schiavone revealed that he handles AEW talent relations and organizational issues.
"When two wrestlers have a problem with each other, I'm kind of the person that talks to him. There's a lot of things that Tony Khan does not want to handle, and so I have to handle a lot of those, be it talent relations or organizational things.” (H/T Wrestling Inc.)
At 65, Tony Schiavone likely does have an idea of when he'll officially retire, but since he doesn't step into the Squared Circle, he might just have more years left than fans realize.