Tony Schiavone
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| Tony Schiavone | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Tony Schiavone |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Billed weight | 185 lb (84 kg/13.2 st) |
| Born | November 7, 1957 Craigsville, Virginia |
| Debut | 1983 |
| Retired | March 26, 2001 |
Noah Anthony "Tony" Schiavone (born on November 7, 1957)[1] (pronounced "sha-VAHN-ee") is a sports radio host and former professional wrestling announcer known for his work in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling.
Contents |
[edit] Career
[edit] Early life and career
Schiavone attended James Madison University in Virginia and served in a play-by-play role for the school's women's college basketball team before starting his radio and television career calling high school football and basketball games in the Southeast. He also worked five years in minor league baseball with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles' minor league franchises in the mid-Atlantic, most notably the Charlotte O's, which was partly owned by Jim Crockett, Jr.
[edit] Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
While affiliated with the Charlotte O's, he began as a wrestling announcer with Crockett's Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (later known as Jim Crockett Promotions, the precursor to World Championship Wrestling or WCW) in the early 1980s. When Jim Crockett Promotions got national television exposure on TBS Superstation in 1985, he was a regular host of the wrestling program.
[edit] World Wrestling Federation
He was signed by Vince McMahon's WWF for a stint in 1989 and early 1990, but soon returned to Jim Crockett Promotions, which had been renamed WCW and was owned by media mogul Ted Turner. In 2003, there were rumors that Schiavone would be brought in to the WWE to replace Jim Ross as co-host of RAW.[citation needed] This idea was apparently nixed by WWE producer Kevin Dunn.
[edit] World Championship Wrestling
Schiavone became the lead voice for WCW's flagship program, Monday Nitro. He also served as the lead announcer of Thunder, typically working alongside "The Professor" Mike Tenay, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko, and later with Mark Madden. Schiavone was a part of many signature moments in WCW history; one particular incident known as "The Fingerpoke of Doom" had him on air criticizing the rival WWF RAW program. This upset Mick Foley, who was centrally involved in the said program, but Schiavone called him to apologize and explain that his comment was by order of Eric Bischoff. When WCW was bought by the World Wrestling Federation in 2001, Schiavone was let go.
[edit] X Wrestling Federation
Schiavone was play by play announcer for the short lived X Wrestling Federation owned by Jimmy Hart. The promotion started shortly after the purchase of WCW by the WWF and ended quickly. After the sudden fall of XWF, Schiavone retired from the pro wrestling scene.
[edit] Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling
He made a short appearance on Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling during its start-up period. He played a heel and had a confrontation with former WCW partner, Mike Tenay.[1] They argued about Tenay's opposition to progress in wrestling and Vince Russo involved himself in the argument.
[edit] Post-wrestling career
Schiavone now is in the extremely rare position of being the morning sports anchor for both WDUN in Gainesville and WSB-AM in Atlanta simultaneously, even though the two stations have different owners. Additionally, Schiavone is a writer for the Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network and produced the Best of the Bulldogs, which won the AP Award for Best Sports Program in 2004.[2]
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- 1999 Worst Television Announcer
- 2000 Worst Television Announcer
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- 1995 Best Announcer
- 1997 Best Announcer
- 1998 Best Announcer (Runner Up)
- World Championship Wrestling
- Vice President of Broadcasting for WCW (1995-2001)
[edit] References
| Preceded by Eric Bischoff |
Voice, WCW Monday Nitro 1996-2001 |
Succeeded by Jim Ross (as WWF RAW) |
