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What are your opinions on Tony Schiavone?

13K views 49 replies 43 participants last post by  jorgovan21 
#1 ·
I was a fan of WCW before WWF/E and still feel a bit of warmth when I hear Tony Schiavone's voice (not so much what he's saying, such as his hyperbole). He seems to be the original Michael Cole, and divided opinion in a similar way.

Here's some noted criticisms taken from his Wikipedia page:

During his tenure with WCW, Schiavone developed a reputation for both his over-the-top announcing style and his relentless shilling of the WCW product. He was well known for proclaiming many Nitro broadcasts to be "the greatest", or "most explosive", telecast "in the history of our sport." However, when this over-the-top hyperbole was repeated on a weekly basis throughout the Monday Night Wars, the phrase lost meaning and became a target of mockery by Schiavone's detractors.

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 Mike 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 Schiavone and did not have many problems with him, "Tony was the consummate politician" and "Tony watched out for Tony and in doing so, had a tendency to bury people along the way".
And here's what WWE said about Shiavone's legacy:

At the height of the Monday Night Wars, veteran broadcaster Tony Schiavone's voice was as vital to the onscreen product of World Championship Wrestling as Jim Ross’ to the WWE
So, what are your thoughts on Schiavone overall?
 
#10 ·
highlight of his career

(8:00 am--Tony Schiavone's alarm clock goes off)

Tony: Ahhhhh, what a good night's sleep. It was the best sleep in the history of all sleep!
Tony's Wife: Do you mind, I'm trying to sleep.
Tony: I'm going to go downstairs and get myself the greatest breakfast of all breakfasts!
Tony's Wife: Alright, just stop yelling.

(10:00 am--Tony Schiavone sits at the table eating)

Tony's Wife: What are you still doing here? I thought you said you were going to eat 2 hours ago?
Tony: These past 2 hours have been the greatest 2 hours ever! I had the greatest breakfast in the history of great breakfasts!
Tony's Wife: You've been sitting here eating for 2 hours?
(horn honks)
Tony: Oh my goodness fans! That must be Mike Tenay and Bobby Heenan! It's time to get into the best car of all cars and head over to WCW!

(In the car)
Heenan: Hey Tony.
Tenay: Tony.
Tony: Thank you for the warm reception fans! That was the greatest greeting I have ever witnessed!
Tenay: Yeah...
Heenan: So, Tony, how's the wife and kids?
Tony: Last night my wife gave me the greatest bl*wjob in the history of great bl*wjobs!
Heenan: ...
Tony: Everything has gotten quiet! I think it's a little too quiet! Never know when the NWO might show up!
Tenay: What's a bl*wjob?
Heenan: ...

(10:45 am--WCW Headquarters)

Lee Marshall: Hello Mike, Tony... Weasel.
Tony: Well Well, it's Lee Marshall for our 1-800-Collect Road Report! What news do you have for us today, Lee?
Lee: Bischoff wants to see you in his office.
Tony: In a second, fans! Let me just change this sweaty shirt! Even though it is the greatest shirt I have ever worn!
(Tony takes off his shirt)
Lee: Oh my!
Heenan: Good God!
Tony: Gentlemen, you are looking at the finest pair of breasts in this history of this great sport!
Lee: I think I'm going to be sick!
(Lee Marshall runs to the bathroom)
(Diamond Dallas Page walks by)
DDP: Yikes!

(11:15 am--Eric Bischoff's office)

Eric: Tony, I need to talk to you about something.
Tony: Well, if it isn't Eric Bischoff! The leader of the NWO! The greatest leader of the NWO ever, but still the leader of the NWO! I don't want anything to do with you!
Eric: This isn't Nitro, this is real life.
Tony: What the f@#k's going on here?!
Eric: Look Tony, just calm down. All I want to do is talk to you about your job.
Tony: Ric Flair beat you! He's the boss, Bischoff! The greatest boss in the history if this great sport!
Eric: Look, just get out of my office.
Tony: This has been the greatest moment in the history of my great life!
(Bischoff shakes his head)

(12:36 pm--At the soda machine. Tony is sipping a Diet Pepsi as Hollywood Hogan walks up)

Hogan: Hey Tony.
Tony: Help! NWO!
Hogan: Look, I don't want any trouble, brother. Just a soda.
Tony: Can we get some security out here now?! It's the NWO, fans!
Hogan: Calm down.
(Tony throws the can of soda at Hogan's head and runs away)

(1:24 pm--The Parking Lot)

Tony: Dammit! That was the greatest soda in the history of this great sport!
(Kevin Nash's car pulls up next to Tony)
Nash: You need a ride, Schiavone?
Tony: Keep on moving, buster! I'll walk thank you very much!

(7:45 pm--Tony Schiavone's House)

Tony's Wife: Where have you been? I just called WCW and they told me you left at 12:30. That was over 7 hours ago.
Tony: I just took the greatest walk of all walks and boy did it feel good! I've never felt better in my entire life!
Tony's Wife: We live 4 blocks from WCW, and you've been walking for 7 hours?
Tony: Yes!
(Tony's 5 year old son steps into the room)
Tony: Well if it isn't the greatest son in the history of the Schiavone Family!
Tony's 7 year old son: What about me dad?
Tony: You heard me!
Tony's 5 year old boy: Daddy, I got an A on my math test today! It was the greatest A in the history of the school!
Tony: Well fans, this has truly been the greatest day in the history of my great life. We're out of time! See you on Thursday!
 
#18 · (Edited by Moderator)
Tony Schiavone was great and whenever I think of the best (my opinion of best) moments in WCW history, I can hear Schiavone's voice narrating them. He was a great change of pace from always listening to Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler. Most of my favorite WCW moments came prior to Nitro/WCW circa '96 when WCW's main program was WCW Saturday Night. Some of my favorite moments/things were: pre-Crow gimmick Sting, Hogan/Vader feud, Savage/Flair feud, Dungeon of Doom, Col. Rob Parker's stable, Harlem Heat/Nasty Boyz/Public Enemy/Blue Bloods/American Males/Stars & Stripes/Pretty Wonderful/Sting & Lex Luger, Craig Pillman, WCW's rotating ring show (WCW Pro or Prime?), debut of The Renegade, DDP/Dave Sullivan, and Arn Anderson/Johnny B. Badd. Another thing that I loved about WCW and Schiavone as a commentator were WCW's unique line-up of PPVs: Hallowen Havoc, Uncensored, Great American Bash, Spring Stampede, Bash at the Beach, Fall Brawl, World War, Clash of Champions, etc.
 
#3 ·
As an announcer back in that time during the Monday Night Wars, when I was a teenager, he was an alright to pretty good announcer. I never thought he was "great" or "bad." But yeah, his "This is the greatest night in the history of our sport" line on an almost every week basis became a joke by 1998. But I don't think you can really blame him for that line. Bischoff fed Tony lines like that and the results to Raw, including the line with Foley winning the title on Raw in January 1999. That's all on Bischoff.

So, I think he was an alright/pretty good commentator. But Bischoff with his constant feeding him of ridiculous lines buried Tony with the audience, in a way. But that's not really Tony's fault. Obviously, you have to do what your boss tells you.
 
#17 ·
I agree. He could get carried away during big moments but generally kept it together. He did a good job of putting guys over and building heat for others. I think too many that weren't around week in and week out see big matches he called on Youtube and are led to believe he was like that all the time.
 
#16 ·
I think this is the 3rd Schiavone thread i've commented in in this forum.

I liked him paired with Jesse at Summerslam 89 for example and his NWA stuff was okay too.

But overall I thought he was fucking awful.

In the later WCW and monday night era I could not bare him. He seemed so fake. Whereas the likes of Gorilla and then JR seemed like they really were outraged by heels, Tony was just ACTING like it and being OTT.

I hated his pairing with Bobby Heenan, because half the time Bobby would set up this comedy gold which just needed a straight man response and Tony would just blunder through it or seem to actively take the air out of his jokes.

Then I think he started to lose his mind a bit, as in the late 90s he got into the habit of calling every 'slam' related move a 'sidewalk slam'. Seriously check it out it became ridiculous. Spinebuster? Sidewalk Slam. Powerslam? Sidewalk slam. Front slam? Sidewalk slam.

SO yeah I pretty much loathed him. Not as much as Larry Z for example but he was up there.
 
#28 · (Edited)
I think this is the 3rd Schiavone thread i've commented in in this forum.

I liked him paired with Jesse at Summerslam 89 for example and his NWA stuff was okay too.

But overall I thought he was fucking awful.

In the later WCW and monday night era I could not bare him. He seemed so fake. Whereas the likes of Gorilla and then JR seemed like they really were outraged by heels, Tony was just ACTING like it and being OTT.

I hated his pairing with Bobby Heenan, because half the time Bobby would set up this comedy gold which just needed a straight man response and Tony would just blunder through it or seem to actively take the air out of his jokes.

EDIT: Sorry to bump this old thread, I just noticed the date! Whoops!
Then I think he started to lose his mind a bit, as in the late 90s he got into the habit of calling every 'slam' related move a 'sidewalk slam'. Seriously check it out it became ridiculous. Spinebuster? Sidewalk Slam. Powerslam? Sidewalk slam. Front slam? Sidewalk slam.

SO yeah I pretty much loathed him. Not as much as Larry Z for example but he was up there.
Yes, I could not stand Larry Zbyszko as an announcer! My God, if the man didn't have something to complain about, he had nothing to do!
 
#37 ·
Very capable. Misdirected during the Monday Night Wars - far too many matches were ignored to talk about Hogan/NWO.

Loved his work during Rick Rude/Ultimate Warrior feud in WWF.
 
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#40 ·
NWA days, he was okay. I thought he was terrible in his WWF days because he seemed out of his element there. Not a fan at all of his WCW days. According to Heenan, he would withhold info from Heenan and Tenay so he could break the news himself. Apparently he played big time politics then too.
 
#46 · (Edited)
Kind of found him somewhat annoying as I was watching the Monday night wars live as they were happening. All these years later, he doesn't annoy nearly as much when I go back and watch. Especially in comparison to the three bozos on Raw these days. So, I guess you could say I have somewhat of a new found appreciation for him. Still though, he's nowhere near the level of a JR in his prime.
 
#5 ·
He was good. His fellow announcers didn't get along with him though which probably stops him from being great.

I don't remember him doing his "Greatest night in the history of our sport" thing as often as people say he did either. Usually that was saved for a big show like Starrcade or a special Nitro.
 
#9 ·
I watched him back in the Monday night wars, the guy got a LOT of hate back then, even without factoring in shit like his Mick Foley comments. From everything I've seen, he was a great commentator before that, but some point early on in the Monday night wars he just stopped giving a shit (maybe it's because the other announcers didn't like him). He wasn't bad.... it's just that he would do weird stuff like Michael Cole does not, shilling stuff that the fans knew was bullshit... every other week we had "the greatest moment in the history of our sport".
 
#14 ·
He was awesome.

Tony Schivanoe/Bobyy Heenan was the greatest commentators for WCW under the best era.

Tony was the more calmer and logical of them, but he could mark out also.

When Hogan turned heel, his heart was broken.

It was like a marriage that ended. Who can forget that line: "Hulk Hogan you can go to hell" LMAO.

Tony was greatness :)
 
#15 ·
He was very good, he started to become burned out in '98 with the extra hour of Nitro and Thunder but before then he always seemed motivated on commentary every week. I remember him walking off the Nitro set the night after the '97 Wargames match, he really sold that angle well.
 
#21 ·
I think people need to understand that Tony had been commentating long before the start of the Monday Night Wars. In fact he had been announcing for Jim Crockett Promotions in the 1980s. IMHO, he was a better announcer than Jim Ross. I always felt that Schiavone and Jesse Ventura made one of the greatest announce teams I ever heard. A lot of younger fans only remember Tony from the Nitro days but I feel that his best days were in Crockett promotions and earlier WCW.
 
#22 ·
Schiavone was a company man, and was just doing what he was told. He gets a lot of flak for what he said (i.e. the Foley line, greatest night in the history of our sport, etc), but he was just doing his job. As a commentator, he was good. I would say he fit WCW perfectly.
 
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