Did Tony Schiavone have wrestling's toughest job

[weaselboy]

I've been watching a lot of WCW lately and one thing has occurred to me whilst watching, Tony Schiavone seems to be picking up the ball a hell of a lot for that company.

For every half written storyline, non-sensical swerve or segment and for every match stipulation that isn't adhered to, poor Tony has to try and cover, in a way that will at least make Nitro seem like a television show with some sense of coherence. The poor guy is left constantly having to explain the unexplainable, often completely on the fly and also shill what is happening like it really is the greatest night in the history of our sport.

For all he gets knocked one really must admire his dedication.

[Triple Kelly]

Bobby Heenan had it worse. Having to put up with Tony and WCW's crap that drove him to drink.

[Jimmy]

I was watching Slamboree 1999 today and man, he just picked on Mike Tenay for no reason at all. I want to feel bad for him, but he just acted so bitchy sometimes.

[gamblore]

Mark Madden wrote about this fairly recently, and although I don't like the guy, I didn't see any reason to doubt what he had to say about Schiavone. According to Madden, Schiavone had a ton of unofficial duties that he was responsible and really was under a great deal of stress.

[Perigryn]

He was up for the job of WCW president along with Jim Ross before Bischoff got the nod...

[barley96]

Tony Schiavone was able to do this without sounding like a douchebag unlike Michael Cole (he's a douchebag regardless) and Jerry "The King" Lawler explaining things on RAW and selling it like it is great.

[lmoney215]

Yeah, he did. Then after a while, he just didn't care anymore. He did things the true american way, half-ass, as homer simpson would say.

[Ryushinku]

1999-2001 pretty much killed off poor Tony's credibility as an announcer.

He was in a situation where he had to promote the product as excellent, but the matches and angles were often so brutally bad that it made him look a moron with all the 'greatest night in the history of our sport' stuff.

And eventually yeah, Tony stopped caring. He used to be great at remembering the past history of certain wrestlers and when they fought, but by the end it was every second move being a sidewalk slam instead.

[johnnyk9]

Well when an announcer doesn't have a sheet of what's going on, it's kinda hard to call everything on the fly

[Schattenjager]

by the end it was every second move being a modified slam instead.

[boomhauer20055]

The ring crew would be wrestlings toughest job

[Phosphor Glow]

I certainly don't envy the later years of Tony's job. I honestly think he gets a bad rap for stuff that he doesn't really deserve. He was a company man and he worked hard, and I think he did a pretty damned good job. Sure, he was prone to a bit of hyperbole(yeah, that's the understatement of the century), but all in all I think he made the product interesting.

Honestly, Schiavone, Tenay, and Heenan is one of my favourite commentary teams of all time. Granted, I might be biased because I was a HUUUUGE WCW mark back in the day, but still.

[quantum]

Nov 8, 2009 9:05:14 GMT -5 Phosphor Glow said:

Honestly, Schiavone, Tenay, and Heenan is one of my favorite commentary teams of all time. Granted, I might be biased because I was a HUUUUGE WCW mark back in the day, but still.

I liked this team on commentary also. Even although Heanan wasn't the same in WCW as he was in WWF he was still great and different than he had been in WWF. Tony and Mike hated each other and Schavoine does get a bad rap a lot for things almost out of his control. I was a big WCW fan and watched from 1998-99 for a whole. However I watch back now on internet sites and they were a good commentary team much better than Cole and King IMO.

[Albino Heat]

by the end it was every second move being a modified slam WHAT A MANEUVER instead.

[tarheelfan]

Nov 6, 2009 21:32:07 GMT -5 Triple Kelly said:

Bobby Heenan had it worse. Having to put up with Tony and WCW's crap that drove him to drink.

The irony is that when Bobby Heenan was up north playing a cartoon type character in the WWE Tony was down south in the the NWA as a great announcer calling serious type NWA matches. I really like Bobby Heenan and enjoyed his character but he should have known that WCW was not like the WWE and a different type of element.

[quantum]

Nov 8, 2009 20:11:30 GMT -5 tarheelfan said:

Nov 6, 2009 21:32:07 GMT -5 Triple Kelly said:

Bobby Heenan had it worse. Having to put up with Tony and WCW's crap that drove him to drink.

The irony is that when Bobby Heenan was up north playing a cartoon type character in the WWE Tony was down south in the the NWA as a great announcer calling serious type NWA matches. I really like Bobby Heenan and enjoyed his character but he should have known that WCW was not like the WWE and a different type of element.

I hardly think that anyone can be blamed for 'driving someone to drink' .
Anyway Heanan did know it was a different schedule he was going to be working in WCW. Most of the stars were working a lot less dates and making more money that;s a huge reasons a lot of the big 80;s and early 90's stars signed for WCW. Including Heanan. However once Nitro got put on air and they started adding more dates it became just as many dates as WWF. Wit just the same pay. Ended up working out less money for working more dates and again even more when Thunder came on the air. That was another big mistake of WCW. Expecting stars just to accept the same pay that they were working less dates for and be happy. However they were bound into a contract which meant they had to work those extra dates.

[Z-A Sandbaggin' Son of a b!%@h]

Getting to witness the greatest night in the history of our sport, first hand... every night. I doubt so.

[Ben Wyatt]

Nov 8, 2009 9:05:14 GMT -5 Phosphor Glow said:

I certainly don't envy the later years of Tony's job. I honestly think he gets a bad rap for stuff that he doesn't really deserve. He was a company man and he worked hard, and I think he did a pretty damned good job. Sure, he was prone to a bit of hyperbole(yeah, that's the understatement of the century), but all in all I think he made the product interesting.

My thoughts exactly. The guy was a terrific play by play guy until WCW forced him to become an annoying schill

[Triple Kelly]

Nov 8, 2009 20:11:30 GMT -5 tarheelfan said:

Nov 6, 2009 21:32:07 GMT -5 Triple Kelly said:

Bobby Heenan had it worse. Having to put up with Tony and WCW's crap that drove him to drink.

The irony is that when Bobby Heenan was up north playing a cartoon type character in the WWE Tony was down south in the the NWA as a great announcer calling serious type NWA matches. I really like Bobby Heenan and enjoyed his character but he should have known that WCW was not like the WWE and a different type of element.

Bobby has gone on record as saying how he strongly disliked being around Schiavone. That Tony hated the wrestling business and hated the fans and would go into business for himself when announcing. Bobby also said that whenever he tried to give suggestions to Bischoff on how to make the product better, he was told to just shut up and announce, so that's what he did. He even admits he was phoning it in because the company was one big clusterf*** and he did what he was told to collect his paycheck.

[Schattenjager]

Nov 8, 2009 16:50:43 GMT -5 Albino Heat said:

by the end it was every second move being a modified slam WHAT A MANEUVER instead.

BAAAAACK BODY DROP!