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Tony Schiavone |
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This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (March 2007) |
| Tony Schiavone | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Tony Schiavone |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Billed weight | 185 lb (84 kg/13.2 st) |
| Born | November 7, 1957 1 Craigsville, Virginia |
| Debut | 1983 |
| Retired | 2003 |
Noah Anthony "Tony" Schiavone (born on November 7, 1957)2 (pronounced "sha-VAHN-ee") is a sports radio host and former professional wrestling announcer known for his work in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling.
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Schiavone attended James Madison University in Virginia and served in a play-by-play role for the school's women's college basketball team before starting his radio and television career calling high school football and basketball games in the Southeast. He also worked five years in minor league baseball with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles' minor league franchises in the mid-Atlantic, most notably the Charlotte O's, which was partly owned by Jim Crockett, Jr.
While affiliated with the Charlotte O's, he began as a wrestling announcer with Jim Crockett Promotions, the precursor to World Championship Wrestling or WCW) in the early 1980s. When Jim Crockett Promotions got national television exposure on TBS Superstation in 1985, he was a regular host of the wrestling program.
He was signed by Vince McMahon's WWF for a stint in 1989 and early 1990, but soon returned to WCW, the former Crockett promotion by then owned by media mogul Ted Turner. In 2003, there were rumors that Schiavone would be brought in to the WWE to replace Jim Ross as co-host of RAW.citation needed This idea was apparently nixed by WWE producer Kevin Dunn.
Schiavone became the lead voice for WCW's flagship program, Monday Nitro. He also served as the lead announcer of Thunder, typically working alongside "The Professor" Mike Tenay, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko, and later with Mark Madden. He also worked WCW Saturday night alongside Dusty Rhodes. Worldwide with the likes of Jesse Ventura, Mike Tenay and Stevie Ray. He was known for frequently screaming "This is the greatest night in the history of our great Sport!" When WCW's main assets were bought by the World Wrestling Federation in 2001, Schiavone was let go.
Schiavone was play by play announcer for the short lived X Wrestling Federation owned by Jimmy Hart. The promotion started shortly after the purchase of WCW by the WWF and ended quickly. After the sudden fall of XWF, Schiavone retired from the pro wrestling scene.
He made a short appearance on Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling during its start-up period. He played a heel and had a confrontation with former WCW partner, Mike Tenay.3 They argued about Tenay's opposition to progress in wrestling and Vince Russo involved himself in the argument.
Schiavone now is in the extremely rare position of being the morning sports anchor for both WDUN in Gainesville and WSB-AM in Atlanta simultaneously, even though the two stations have different owners (WDUN has a partnership with Cox Communications, which owns WSB-TV and WSB-AM, where WSB-TV's evening newscast is simulcast on WDUN. WSB-TV's weather staffers broadcast weather on WSB-AM). Schiavone also does morning sports reports for WHIO-AM and WHIO-FM in Dayton, Ohio. Additionally, Schiavone is a writer for the Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network and produced the Best of the Bulldogs, which won the AP Award for Best Sports Program in 2004.4 Schiavone owns his own radio production company, Blind Dog Sports.
Schiavone will be the play-by-play radio broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves' AAA affiliate starting in 2009 when they move to Duluth, Georgia.
During his time in WCW, Schiavone was a part of many signature moments. One particularly famous incident, aired on the same night as WCW's "Fingerpoke of Doom", had him on air criticizing the rival WWF RAW IS WAR's pre-taped program and their decision to award the WWF Championship to Mick Foley, commenting "That'll put a lot of butts in seats". This upset Foley, who would later receive a phone call from Schiavone, apologizing and explaining that his comments were by order of WCW President Eric Bischoff. In an RF Video Shoot interview, Schiavone was criticized by Bobby Heenan who claimed that Schiavone would allegedly hide finishes and angles from him and Tenay during broadcasts, claiming Schiavone's key to life is "knowledge is power". This was an opinion shared by long-time wrestling broadcaster "Mean Gene" Okerlund who claimed that, while he liked and did not have many problems with Schiavone, "Tony was the consumate politician" and "Tony watched out for Tony and in doing so, had a tendency to bury people along the way".
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