[4.0] "I actually gave Schiavone a higher rating previously, but after having rewatched a lot of late 90s WCW, I really had to change it. At this point he really just grinds my gears, he has little to say, he's got pretty much the same exact energy no matter what he's talking about, and while he tries his best to hype up storylines it often comes at the cost of whatever's happening in the ring."
[4.0] "This isn't based on his AEW work. This is based on his WCW work. He's too bland in AEW to even give a review but in WCW, that's when he is at his best and obviously his best wasn't that good. In my review of excalibur, I said his main issue was he didn't know how to do storytelling. Schivone's issue is he seemingly doesn't know when to turn the storytelling off. Like, he can call in ring action but go watch a WCW match he calls and every 20 seconds, he'll call what's in the ring, and then for 5 minutes he'll be like "MAN THIS IS GREAT BUT DO YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT'S COMING UP-" and it's 5 minutes of that. In AEW, he's not really a commentator, he's more of a cheerleader who just says how good a match was. And even you, reading this knows that's true. But in WCW he wasn't really good and MIke Tenay was much better because he actually called the matches while Schivone was like "MAN THIS IS AMAZING, BUT HULK HOGAN DID SOMETHING SO COOL AT THE START OF THE SHOW WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK? ""
[2.0] "Er bringt den WCW-Charme zu AEW und liefert im Kern grundsolide Arbeit als Play-by-Play-Mann. Bei Dark Elevation zeigt sich dann aber, dass er in er 3-Mann-Booth schon besser aufgehoben ist und JR und Excalibur da Sachen kompensieren können, die Paul Wight eher schlimmer macht. Das ist oft gar etwas anstrengend und etwas out of touch. Seine Gestik in Interview oder Segmenten triggert mich immer etwas. Schon okay, aber für mich in Summe eher ohne echten Mehrwert abseits des Vintage-Charms. So klang es im Juli 2021. Mittlerweile hat sich Tony komplett abgenutzt und seine "Good Call" oder "Good Point"-Kommentare für seine Kollegen sind eigentlich nur noch lästig, da er nichts Eigenes mehr beitragen kann und seine Begeisterung für das Produkt ist ihm auch nicht abzunehmen, da er einfach nicht den Enthusiasmus von Excalibur oder Taz z.B. hat und so irre künstlich und oft wie ein Fremdkörper wirkt. Ein paar gute Old School-Kommentare, die Kontext bringen, sind noch dabei, aber die muss man bei so einer zweistündigen Show mittlerweile doch sehr genau suchen. Auch seine Einsätze als (Backstage-)Interviewer wirken irgendwie clownesk. Für mich schmälert er das Produkt mittlerweile. AEW hat Zugriff auf deutlich bessere Kommentatoren. So viel aus Oktober 2022. Nun ist er ein absoluter Nervfaktor, der am Kommentatorenpult für mich nur noch das Gegenteil bewirkt. Sein Play-by-Play-Kontext wird weniger, dafür dünne Cheerleader-Aussagen, die dem Produkt 0 helfen, da er sie halb unaufgeregt herunterrappelt, wie der Boomer-Chef, der seine Mitarbeiter loben soll. Es haut für mich wirklich nicht mehr hin. Sehr schwach."
[5.0] "Tony Schiavone used to be so good. He was a good commentator in WCW. Not as good as Heenan and Mike Tenay, but he was good at play by play. But then he came back for AEW and he became useless. He can't call anything and laughs at the big fights which happens a lot in the company. He should leave AEW with Excalibur. I would be perfectly fine if Taz did commentary by himself or with someone who knows what the fuck to do."
[7.0] "Not too shabby as a play-by-play commentator. He had some stand-out moments, but other than that, he was just there. Happy to see him in AEW, but he's not getting the best things to work with right now. Still, this'll hopefully change for the better. And overall, solid commentator."
[7.0] "Never the best play by play but he had some great moments. His worst work was in the dying days of WCW but it was the same for nearly everyone who worked there at the time. He has a passion for the business and the fact that he stayed away for almost 20 years after WCW folded is indicative of that. You could say the opposite is true and there's a case for it but AEW is the spiritual successor to WCW (for better and worse) so it makes sense that he'd resurface to be part of it. He's done some of his best consistent work on Collision as the lead play by play and I'm happy to see him back."
[2.0] "I'm listening to Tony commentate WCW Greed & Slamboree 2000 next to Scott Hudson, & I've gotta say, I'm not feeling it now, Mr. Krabs, I'm not feeling it. Tony's robotic regurgitations of every spot may as well be considered gray static; & he certainly seems to hold onto those spots with the conviction of a person whom knows he has nothing else to bring to the commentary. There's no charisma & no meaningful interaction / character work between Tony & Scott at all. Tony makes no commentary about the storylines leading into the matches at all. He does nothing to differentiate himself from Scott Hudson in the color commentator versus straight commentator department. All he does is full-stop explain move after move after move, rarely throwing in an observation or two, & that's literally it. His work in AEW follows this trend, as well, & the addition of the "This is great / I feel great to be here" spam indicates that he genuinely just doesn't have much to add. I'd rather take JBL in the booth over this guy; for as irritating as he is, at least JBL commentates shit properly. I was going to be merciful and opt for 3, but when you have a guy whom has genuinely made me want to hit mute or actively wish for JBL, of all people, to be there instead, I've got to trend into the 2 area. He's truly not very good at all."
[0.0] "I truly do not understand how Tony Schiavone ever got a job as a wrestling commentator. His knowledge of the business is surpassed by people in the nosebleeds, he isn't insightful in any way, he has nothing to add to a commentary team, yet he's famous for being in WCW and AEW. Why? Literally why? I cannot think of a single good thing about his commentary. His lone famous commentary moment is known as the turning point in the Monday Night Wars. His commentary in AEW is completely useless. All he says is something to the effect of "This is great" or "I'm having a great time", that's it. He kept saying "WHAT A MOMENT" during All In yesterday, reminds me of when Michael Cole was under VKM, constantly saying "Here's a WrestleMania moment! " during WrestleManias. Useless."
[4.0] "If no one else is gonna mention it here yet I will, who killed WCW Vince Russo episode mentioned a particular instance involving Tony, apparently it was his idea for David Arquette to win the world title? That moment alone drops him a ton from already being a bland commentator who was pretty much always trying to sell the next paperview and thats all. He is ok as an interviewer, and he doesn't have a voice that's annoying to listen to for an entire show *Booker*, but he was a huge step down from JR to say the least. Nothing special but then hearing it was his idea for Arquette should drop him a lot on here I'm thinkin"
[2.0] "Between what I have heard of him in WCW, and his body of work in AEW, I struggle to put up with Tony Schiavone. Bland background speak from the likes of Vic Joseph is far more tolerable than listening to this guy chime in to exclaim nonsense, and he does little to add the stories of the match. In fairness, my butt remains in my seat when he speaks, but my upper body is motioning for the my remote as I need access to my volume controls. In WCW he was somewhat tolerable I will admit (more spirited and knowledgeable), but that's nothing in contrast to what you get from him in the modern day. Its as if he just speaks-to-speak, filling a minimum-words quota with as little insight as possible. I wonder if he even cares at all anymore with his undescriptive accounts of everything he is talking about."
[9.0] "Top tier commentator. Liked him in WCW but he has only gotten better with age. When I heard him again in MLW I was impressed as he knew the product which isn't something you see with all of the older commentators. In AEW he has been the best commentator they have in my opinion."
[6.0] "Better than just about all the commentators that have come along in the last 20 years but got overshadowed in his own time when you had JR, Monsoon, Heenan, and Ventura doing commentary in WCW and the WWF."
[9.0] "A huge commentator and interviewer. He brings an aura to each of his participations. If there is one man from the locker room that I remember and stands out, it is clearly Tony Schiavone. I love her connection to Britt Baker."
[5.0] "He was a good play-by-play back in the early 90's (but not good in his initial JCP run, or in WWE), nothing great but his voice was certainly suited to it. He got a bit egotistical in the WCW heyday and obviously couldn't care less towards the end. He's pretty laughable in AEW now, as you can write all the words he says in a full broadcast on the back of a cigarette packet."
[6.0] "Tony Schiavone has had a pretty long career in the wrestling business, which he deserves credit for. He's best remembered for being the lead commentator for WCW for a while, but before that he had a pretty lengthy career as an interviewer. Today I sort of feel the rose tinted glasses are firmly on people's faces when listening to his insipid commentary on AEW, but at one time he was pretty dependable. Never once was Tony Schiavone the best commentator in the business."
[8.0] "I don't watch AEW, not my style. This is based on his career prior to that. I always liked Tony. You could always tell he was a fan. He's pretty good at calling baseball as well. His work in Crockett was pretty darn great! He did very well in the WWF and gelled wondrously with Lord Alfred Hayes. His commentary with Dusty Rhodes on WCW Saturday Night always left me in stiches, very fun chemistry found there. He also had extraordinary chemistry with Jesse Ventura every time they were together over the years and companies. Not without his faults though; says something was "on target" pretty much every show he's on, sometimes twice or sixteen times. Tony would also call an arm wringer a "full arm drag and twist". A full arm drag and twist is what Ricky Steamboat does - *You Know The One I Speak Of*. I don't think there was chemistry whatsoever with Bobby Heenan, but WCW just kept putting them together anyway. Dying days WCW was terrible and Tony did nothing to make it easier to stomach and in real life he curses far too much for me. Positives easily outweigh the negatives though with Skee-a-vone! 7.5 rounded up"
[6.0] "There's a lot of revisionist history when it comes to Tony Schiavone. Many will tell you he was once a great commentator back in the day but that most certainly wasn't the case. Nowadays he could do a solid enough job calling a match. He has a good voice for it but he gets on my nerves sometimes. I suppose that's just my personal opinion but Schiavone's hatred for heels like MJF and Adam Cole comes across as childish more than anything else. Sometimes I like him, sometimes I don't. Mixed bag overall but he's a lot better than Jim Ross on AEW's booth."
[10.0] "Einfach eine Legende unter den Kommentatoren. Besonders seine Zeit in der WCW war unvergesslich. Auch jetzt bei AEW hat er seinen Charme nicht verloren."
[7.0] "I'm not as familiar with his work in WCW where he apparently became pretty complacent and happy to just cash cheques without putting in effort, but in AEW he's been really good. He has a great announcer's voice, shows genuine interest in the matches he commentates over, and he's also been very good in the few bits of minimal character work he's been allowed to indulge in (such as his complicated relationship with Britt Baker, or his clear hatred of heels like MJF). Schiavone may not have Excalibur's extensive wrestling knowledge or JR's respected reputation, but he's easily the best all-round commentator in AEW because of the professionalism and genuine enthusiasm he displays."
[7.0] "Einer der wichtigsten Kommentatoren in der WCW Geschichte und ich habe ihn damals nicht erlebt (hab vieles erst später nachgeholt). Was seine AEW Zeit angeht die verfolge ich. Auch wenn er älter geworden ist, Tony hat es immer noch drauf."
[9.0] "Tony isn't the most energetic guy on commentary. But I'll always be a big fan of his for his long and excellent career. Current, laid back Tony is still going strong and well. He works best when paired with a commentator that provides more energy; he's good at enhancing his partner."
[8.0] "I was not a WCW guy back in the 90s, but I still watched enough & always found Tony to have a natural voice for the sport. He lacks the pure fandom that someone like JR has. AEW is so much better with Tony involved."
[6.0] "Tony Schiavone is a tough guy to rate because of how long and varied his career has been. Are you reviewing the young Tony Schiavone in the NWA, who was one of the best in the business? Or the Tony Schiavone who was infamous for politicking and massively overhyping everything in WCW in the late 90s? Or the present-day Tony Schiavone in AEW, who's a solid but unexceptional part of a good announce crew? All three of those incarnations would get wildly different ratings. So I guess somewhere in the middle is appropriate."
[7.0] "Okay announcer wasn't as good as some of the other guys like Bobby Heenan, Jim Ross or Gordon Solie. To tell you the truth I never was really interested in him."
[9.0] "An under-rated commentator. I loved his partnership with Bobby Heenan. He did have flaws like only focusing on building for Hogan and the main event, saying everything is the greatest night ever, and talking over other people talking (but in WCW you could have 4 people talking at the same time (Wrestler, interview, ring announcer and commentator)) He is the best that any non-WWE company could have and was great in his brief run in WWE."
[7.0] "Not the greatest commentator in our sport by any means but he is pretty underrated, he had to deal with some really silly stuff in WCW but I think he did the best he could and he is certainly tons better than Mark Madden. The only major issue I ever had with him was how he would talk a lot during in ring promos. I think the announce team should shut up during promos and let the wrestlers talk."
[10.0] "Great announcer back in the day (and currently for MLW). The voice of WCW. Very underrated at times. Also an extremely entertaining podcaster in 2018."
[8.0] "Die Stimme von JCP und WCW in den 80ern und 90ern. Sehr guter Kommentator mit einprägsamer Stimme. Gegen Ende der WCW Zeit leider oft am übertreiben, oder (auch aufgrund der Kollegen) beschäftigt mit Gelaber, das nichts mit dem aktuellen Match zu tun hatte. Im Gesamtbild dennoch ein Großer, und wären die letzten 2 - 3 Jahre WCW nicht gewesen auch eine 9 wert."
[8.0] "Painfully underrated commentator. His work till the early part of MNW was great. He was no JR but he was way better than chumps today like Maggle Cole. He became really bad later on but he himself admits that and he was forced to say some horrible things on commentary like the Mankind line (for which he apologized to Mick immediately). As a podcaster, he is great perving on Debra and Madusa and providing unfiltered insight on what he did in WCW. Unfairly given the criticism IMO."
[1.0] "Easily one of the worst I have heard. Gratingly insincere most of the time with an ludicrous penchant for saying everything he sees is the "greatest in our sport". Worked poorly with almost every partner, had no idea how to work with Jesse Ventura, was painfully jealous of Mike Tenay's wrestling knowledge, and was frequently insulting to Bobby Heenan on air with no storyline reason to do so, shouting at him to shut up or that he was stupid. Tried to hoard information about the booking so he could look smarter than those around him on air. Once in a blue moon he'd have a good night so I won't give him a zero, but he's so bad most of the time that I'm very close anyway. Also, pretty sure he's some sort of creature pretending to be human (see Halloween Havoc '93 for that reference). Seriously though, a very poor talent mostly who is really insufferable at times. Let's not forget his venomous "butts in seats" comment helped WCW lose the Monday Night War, so he wasn't even helping his company in the end. God knows I would have switched over to Raw just so I could hear Jim Ross instead of this man."
[5.0] "In old watches, he was pretty good in Crockett promotions and early WWF, when he cared. His late WCW runs are where you see the good and bad. He wasn't as knowledgeable as he should've been (as evidenced by Heenan and/or Tenay help carry him into a conversation or when he would always say "What a move! " because he didn't know the name of it), but he had a great voice. He wasn't that good, but he wasn't that bad either."
[9.0] "Was für ein Super Kommentator. Der ist doch Meilenweit solchen typen wie Cole usw. vorraus. Ich mochte ihn immer wenn ich WCW gesehen habe, selbst als er kurz bei TNA war. Zusammen mit J. R und dem King eine weitere Sache warum diese Zeit im Wrestling einfach spitze war."
[6.0] "would possibly give him more points if he wasn't such a smug douchebag. Also, treated Heenan like shit. Got fans to put WWE perma-over by changing the channel. looks like an even bigger douche with blonde hair. wouldn't yo agree?"
[7.0] "Wenn man ihn mal mit einem heutigen Michael Cole vergleicht dann war Tony garnicht so schlecht wie ihn einige hier machen. Er verkauft große Storylines immer gut, ist ja nicht seine Schuld dass das WCW Bookingteam nichts konnte. Und neben Bobby Heenan hat er sich auch meistens gut geschlagen. Mir bleibt Schiavone gerne in Erinnerung, er war besser als Mark Madden, Scott Hudson und Mike Tenay zusammen. Nur Heenan und Rhodes waren besser als er in der WCW."
[8.0] "For the most part, a top-notch announcer. I can't think of my favorite WCW matches without hearing this man's voice in my head. Sure, he had his negative attributes on and off camera, but I think he was great at his job and he's sorely missed (at least by me, anyway. )"
[8.0] "Truly the greatest night in the history of our sports. Wie hab ich es geliebt (und nicht ernst genommen). Wahrscheinlich ist der Mann so polarisierend wie Pizza Hawaii, take it or leave it. Ich für meinen Teil habe WCW Matches mit ihm im Ohr immer genossen, besonders in Verbindung mit Bobby The Brain Heenan."
[7.0] "Finde ihn rückblickend betrachtet gar nicht so übel, wenn ich Ehrlich bin, verstand sein Handwerk durchaus, hatte eine angenehme Stimme und brachte in meinen Augen nur wenig Dummgelaber."
[2.0] "Hätte nicht gedacht das er mal für die WWF gearbeitet hat. Als die WCW sich entwickelt hat kam er nicht nach. Während Leute wie Ross, Tenay usw. sich auf Sports Entertainment eingestellt hatten, blieb er mit seinem Stil in der alten Zeit. Dazu kamen dann noch Versprecher und teilweise unsinniger Kommentar. Als er zu TNA als Heel zurück kehrte tja da hat er dann wohl jeden Kredit verspielt, den er wohl noch hatte."
[4.0] "Er bekommt die Punkte von mir nur, weil er Ende der 80er und Anfang der 90er ein guter Kommentator war (vor allen Dingen mit Larry Zbyszko). Aber je bekannter und erfolgreicher die WCW wurde, umso nerviger und unglaubwürdiger wurde er. "THIS IS THE GREATEST NIGHT IN THE HISTORY OF OUR SPORT" bekam man so oft von ihm zu hören, dass es ein Running-Gag wurde. Im Dreiergespann mit Rhodes und Heenan, waren er und Rhodes unerträglich. Wie er während der Sendungen Heenan gemobbt und runtergemacht hat, dass dieser auch nicht ein Mal ansatzweise seine Stärken zeigen durfte, fand ich einfach nur unprofessionell und gemein. Allerdings hat den Foley-Kommentar nicht er, sondern Bischoff zu verantworten."
[3.0] "Lange dabei gewesen, aber das an sich macht ihn noch nicht zu einem Meister. Ich gehe hier nicht auf die Dinge wie Foleys Titelgewinn ein, da das nunmal dazu gehört und wohl auch von oben kam. Aber sein Stil ist einfach grausam."
[8.0] "Für mich noch immer eine Stimme des Wrestling! Wenn ich noch ab und an alte Kämpfe zu sehen kriege, ist auch sein Kommentar immer ein Erlebnis. Im Zusammenspiel mit Bobby Heenan auch einfach klasse. Wohl bekanntester Spruch: 'Oh my god, it's STING! Sting is here. We're running out of time. See you next week! ' ;-) Aber der Shoot gegen Mick Foley ist und bleibt unter aller Sau."
[4.0] "Nicht ansatzweise auf einem Level mit wirklich guten Kommentatoren - und durch seine ständigen Patzer wird das selbst dem letzten Fan verdeutlicht."
