Tony Schiavone Details the Offer He Got From WWE Before Signing With AEW

Tony Schiavone came back into the spotlight after he signed with AEW in 2019. The iconic WCW announcer was reunited with Sting, a Superstar he was famous for introducing in a legendary fashion.

Many may not know it, but Schiavone was actually contacted by WWE before he joined AEW. In fact, the negotiations more or less took place simultaneously!

In a recent interview on AEW Unrestricted, Tony Schiavone revealed the contents of the call with WWE and provided a comparison to that of AEW.

“Bruce (Prichard) called and said that Vince is very much interested; he wants you to come here and end your career,” said Schiavone. “I said, ‘okay, then make me an offer.’ So, they had an HR person call me, and they say, ‘How much do you need?’ I hyped through the ball way up in the air on that one. And they said, ‘Okay, we’ll be back in touch with you.

Tony Schiavone wanted to hear what both sides had to offer

Schiavone did work with WWE before leaving for WCW, but he did enjoy the prospect of retiring where it all started. However, he was caught on the fence between WWE and AEW; Tony Khan was also interested in his services.

“Meanwhile, I go down to talk to Tony Khan, and I met with Tony, it was an all-day meeting at the stadium, and I knew immediately I wanted to work there.”

“I didn’t play two sides against the middle; I didn’t. So, I was just waiting and waiting to hear, and Tony offered me something phenomenal. And I knew I wanted to work there, but I was going to listen to what WWE had to say,” explained Schiavone.

“I was not one to call the WWE and say, ‘Listen, Tony Khan has offered me this,’ or go to Tony and I did tell Tony that I heard from the WWE and Tony says, ‘Well, if they offer you a million dollars, take it.’ I said, ‘Don’t worry, I will.’”

WWE did not offer Schiavone a job in the end

The AEW announcer then revealed how WWE informed him that they didn’t have a spot for him finally which booked his one-way ticket to AEW. 

“So the Monday after SummerSlam, I get a call first thing in the morning, and the late from the WWE says, ‘Thank you for your interest, Mr. Schiavone, we have nothing for you.’ And I went, ‘Uh, you guys contacted me.’”

Tony Schiavone is having the time of his life in AEW and has been instrumental in his work. Fans have also appreciated his “Its Stiiinngg” calls which never seem to get old.