AEW's Tony Schiavone Responds To All In Footage Reactions, WCW Comparisons
Last week's "AEW Dynamite" was a polarizing episode from the promotion, mostly due to AEW's decision to air previously unseen footage from the backstage fight between CM Punk and Jack Perry at All In last August. Some even believed the decision was polarizing for those in AEW, particularly concerning announcer Tony Schiavone, who could be seen immediately after the footage aired looking annoyed, with many concluding it was due to the video.
According to Schiavone, nothing could be farther from the truth. On the latest episode of "What Happened When," co-host Conrad Thompson gave Schiavone the floor to address last Wednesday, with Schiavone explaining why his facial expressions were what they were, while also delivering pointed comments to those suggesting he was upset with AEW.
"I think it's hilarious, not hilarious, it's probably apropos that people can take screenshots and assume anything from a screenshot," Schiavone said. "My facial reaction to what happened was me...trying to put more heat on the Bucks for being a******s, within the storyline itself. I did not have any reaction to the footage we saw because I don't give a damn...So what? So f*****g what? So I was not upset at the promotion, I was not upset at Tony Khan, I was not pissed off about what we had shown.
"I was trying to be fully in the moment of the angle, which is the Bucks b******g about FTR, wanting to shake their hands and getting f****d around and everything. That's what I was doing. But of course, everyone wants to create their own story, and that's fine. That's what social media is about. Social media is about idiots coming together and trying to come up with their own ideas."
Schiavone Says Those Comparing AEW To WCW Want Us To Fail
Schiavone wasn't done, turning his attention to those who compared AEW airing the All In footage to something WCW would've done during its dying days. Having worked for WCW during its dark period, Schiavone was emphatic in calling the comparisons between AEW and WCW ludicrous.
"Some people are saying 'Oh, the footage you were showing is like the Fingerpoke of Doom moment for AEW,'" Schiavone said. "Well, you know what? That's what you want it to be, because you want to see us fail. And there is no way, because I was in both companies, there's absolutely no way that you can compare us to WCW. You can't. You may want to, you may think you're right...you're wrong. You cannot compare us to WCW. I was there for both, you were not."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "What Happened When" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription