As AEW Dynamite airs a milestone episode tonight, officially surpassing the total episode count of WCW Monday Nitro, veteran broadcaster Tony Schiavone shared personal reflections on the achievement.
Speaking on his What Happened When podcast, Schiavone, a former voice of Nitro and now a key figure in AEW, praised the journey and the leadership of AEW President Tony Khan. “It is pretty cool,” Schiavone said of the accomplishment. He acknowledged that some might view his praise skeptically, adding:
“Most people are going to say, ‘Oh, you’re a suck up.’ Yeah, I am.”
Reflecting on AEW’s evolution, Schiavone admitted the road hasn’t been entirely smooth.
“There’s been bumps, and I’m talking about bumps that you have not seen, bumps that have not been reported,” he said.
Despite internal challenges, he emphasized Khan’s pivotal role in rejuvenating the team behind AEW.
“He gave us new life. He completely changed our lives,” Schiavone stated. “Everybody who works for him… he changed our lives, especially people in the front office.”
Schiavone connected Khan’s personal passion for wrestling to the importance of tonight’s episode.
“He loves wrestling on a nostalgia level, like we do. Tony has done a lot for us,” he said.
He also highlighted Khan’s influence on AEW’s creative success, citing the “Timeless” Toni Storm character as a standout example.
“Right now, Timeless Toni Storm is probably the biggest woman’s star that we have… and that’s because it was a character that Tony Khan developed,” he revealed.
Schiavone noted RJ City’s contributions to the character’s development, but emphasized that the concept originated with Khan.
“He’s come up with some very good ideas for us over the last six years,” Schiavone added, referencing key matches like Stadium Stampede and AEW’s double cage format. “We are charged to implement them, which we have done to the best of our ability.”
Looking ahead to the milestone broadcast, Schiavone concluded:
“I really feel that this is going to be a very special night for many, many reasons.”
