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| Schiavone is the real number one commentator Photo Credit: AllEliteWrestling.com |
Let me put this out there first; wrestling should not be happening right now. The fact that it is is a double-edged sword in that on one hand, it feels sketchy that the two biggest American companies are putting their talent in harm's way, even after New Japan Pro Wrestling did the responsible thing long before its home country declared a state of emergency. On the other hand though, it's nice to have some first-run athletic entertainment. Wrestling has always been a risky endeavor run by carnies anyway. Are you surprised that Cody Runnels and Vince McMahon thought they could power through COVID-19 by just putting their labor in harm's way and not fans? They probably think they're martyrs, especially Cody who has been working each All Elite Wrestling show. The psychosis of the American capitalist is a condition to be explored in another blog by someone more qualified to dissect human behavior.
Dynamite has been in skeleton production for four weeks so far, and three of them, Tony Schiavone has been the only regular commentator in the booth. He's been paired exclusively with wrestlers: Colt Cabana, Cody, Kenny Omega, and most recently Chris Jericho. Excalibur is nestled at home on the West Coast, not really worth it for him to fly out to the East Coast just to add commentary in post-production. The same goes for Jim Ross, I suppose. Schiavone is already local; some have joked he probably lives in Cody's guest house. Okay, nobody's joked that except me right now. Still, Schiavone as the guy holding the fort down makes sense.
Schiavone's inclusion on the broadcast team has been a mixed bag so far, mostly a net neutral with some positives sprinkled in. It's hard to get a word in edgewise when Ross feels the need to prove he should be paid by the word. Ross has name value with certain fans, but wrestling has always been held back by insisting that a name is worth more than what the person with that name brings to the table, and that if you don't like it, you don't like making money. Again, the business is run by people who never stopped being carnies. Schiavone and Excalibur have both had chances to shine, but a booth that Ross dominates is one that in 2020 will be scolding and pedantic rather than entertaining and informative.
Removing Ross from the equation was bound to uplift the commentary through addition by subtraction. How much was always the real question. As fate would have it, Schiavone has knocked his assignment out of the park. He's been engaging both with whichever broadcast partner with whom he's been paired. Chemistry between a single commentator and a rotating cast is something people can take for granted. It's always subjective, because I thought Ross had great chemistry with Jerry Lawler in the heights of the Attitude Era but that he and Paul Heyman stunk out loud during the InVasion era. People seem to love the Ross/Heyman pairing even now. But Schiavone has had good rapport whether it be with a straightforward friendly type like Cody or Omega, as a straight man to Cabana's funny guy, or even with a hostile partner like last night with Jericho. It's easy to write the relationships off, but Schiavone held serve with each broadcast partner.
He also was able to be funny and knowledgeable in his role. He's shown flashes before of these things, but he never got opportunities to show them regularly with Ross always there gabbing until the cows come home. Unlike Ross, Schiavone can roll with the punches. He not only does the most basic homework possible on new AEW wrestlers, he also seems to not only want to dig deeper, but watch the wrestling they've done outside of the company. He dropped a nugget last night for example that Omega and Chuck Taylor were former tag partners themselves. It's the kind of thing that brings real sports feel to the broadcast more than records or rankings.
The last three weeks have shown why people were excited when Schiavone was added to the commentary team. Once upon a time, Schiavone was one of the most highly-regarded commentators in the business. Forget what you know about his run during Monday Night Wars World Championship Wrestling, when Eric Bischoff was in his ear instructing him to be more of a hype man rather than a commentator. His work in early WCW or during his stints in the National Wrestling Alliance and World Wrestling Federation was beloved. The last three weeks have shown that that commentator is still in there, that there's someone with a passion for wrestling still with the headset on.
I doubt things will change when COVID-19 runs its course. When AEW returns in earnest touring arenas, I bet Ross will be back. That would be a mistake to me. Running with a two-person booth in Schiavone and Excalibur, with Taz popping in and out as the Mike Tenay-in-WCW equivalent for big matches would be the optimal solution. Ross has shown worth in sitdown interviews where he can heavily prepare, but it's clear the real "nostalgia" act that has real value today is Schiavone. He's shown over the last three weeks that he's more than capable of carrying the broadcast for the viewers at home. AEW should let him.
Dynamite has been in skeleton production for four weeks so far, and three of them, Tony Schiavone has been the only regular commentator in the booth. He's been paired exclusively with wrestlers: Colt Cabana, Cody, Kenny Omega, and most recently Chris Jericho. Excalibur is nestled at home on the West Coast, not really worth it for him to fly out to the East Coast just to add commentary in post-production. The same goes for Jim Ross, I suppose. Schiavone is already local; some have joked he probably lives in Cody's guest house. Okay, nobody's joked that except me right now. Still, Schiavone as the guy holding the fort down makes sense.
Schiavone's inclusion on the broadcast team has been a mixed bag so far, mostly a net neutral with some positives sprinkled in. It's hard to get a word in edgewise when Ross feels the need to prove he should be paid by the word. Ross has name value with certain fans, but wrestling has always been held back by insisting that a name is worth more than what the person with that name brings to the table, and that if you don't like it, you don't like making money. Again, the business is run by people who never stopped being carnies. Schiavone and Excalibur have both had chances to shine, but a booth that Ross dominates is one that in 2020 will be scolding and pedantic rather than entertaining and informative.
Removing Ross from the equation was bound to uplift the commentary through addition by subtraction. How much was always the real question. As fate would have it, Schiavone has knocked his assignment out of the park. He's been engaging both with whichever broadcast partner with whom he's been paired. Chemistry between a single commentator and a rotating cast is something people can take for granted. It's always subjective, because I thought Ross had great chemistry with Jerry Lawler in the heights of the Attitude Era but that he and Paul Heyman stunk out loud during the InVasion era. People seem to love the Ross/Heyman pairing even now. But Schiavone has had good rapport whether it be with a straightforward friendly type like Cody or Omega, as a straight man to Cabana's funny guy, or even with a hostile partner like last night with Jericho. It's easy to write the relationships off, but Schiavone held serve with each broadcast partner.
He also was able to be funny and knowledgeable in his role. He's shown flashes before of these things, but he never got opportunities to show them regularly with Ross always there gabbing until the cows come home. Unlike Ross, Schiavone can roll with the punches. He not only does the most basic homework possible on new AEW wrestlers, he also seems to not only want to dig deeper, but watch the wrestling they've done outside of the company. He dropped a nugget last night for example that Omega and Chuck Taylor were former tag partners themselves. It's the kind of thing that brings real sports feel to the broadcast more than records or rankings.
The last three weeks have shown why people were excited when Schiavone was added to the commentary team. Once upon a time, Schiavone was one of the most highly-regarded commentators in the business. Forget what you know about his run during Monday Night Wars World Championship Wrestling, when Eric Bischoff was in his ear instructing him to be more of a hype man rather than a commentator. His work in early WCW or during his stints in the National Wrestling Alliance and World Wrestling Federation was beloved. The last three weeks have shown that that commentator is still in there, that there's someone with a passion for wrestling still with the headset on.
I doubt things will change when COVID-19 runs its course. When AEW returns in earnest touring arenas, I bet Ross will be back. That would be a mistake to me. Running with a two-person booth in Schiavone and Excalibur, with Taz popping in and out as the Mike Tenay-in-WCW equivalent for big matches would be the optimal solution. Ross has shown worth in sitdown interviews where he can heavily prepare, but it's clear the real "nostalgia" act that has real value today is Schiavone. He's shown over the last three weeks that he's more than capable of carrying the broadcast for the viewers at home. AEW should let him.
