The global COVID-19 pandemic forced nearly every entertainment industry to rethink how it operated, and professional wrestling was no exception. While many promotions scrambled to adjust, All Elite Wrestling settled into an extended, improvised home base at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. What began as a necessity gradually became a defining chapter in the company’s young history.
For AEW announcer Tony Schiavone, that period remains especially meaningful. Speaking on his What Happened When podcast, Schiavone explained that despite the grim circumstances outside the wrestling bubble, the internal environment fostered a rare sense of unity that many within the company still talk about today.
“I think that we forged a lot of great relationships during COVID, because we were in Jacksonville and we would stay in Jacksonville three or four days at a time and then take a week off and come back three or four days at a time,” Schiavone recalled. The rhythm of those tapings created a shared routine, with the same crew, same venue, and limited outside distractions.
Schiavone also pointed to the effort made by Tony Khan to keep morale high. “We worked the same venue. Tony had dinner for us all, had it catered in the hotel, so we all… there was the closeness that when we talk about amongst us, we miss,” he said. That closeness, according to Schiavone, extended across talent, production staff, and management alike.
He was careful to acknowledge the broader reality of the moment. “Everybody that was in AEW back then that are still with us misses those times. It was terrible, COVID was terrible, I know,” Schiavone said. “But for us in AEW, it was a wonderful, wonderful time.” The contrast, he noted, is strange but genuine, a product of shared adversity bringing people together.
The reflection underscores how AEW’s early identity was shaped not just by its matches or storylines, but by the relationships formed under extraordinary conditions. That stretch at Daily’s Place helped solidify a locker room culture that fans often point to as one of the promotion’s strengths.
As AEW continues to evolve with larger venues, expanded touring, and a broader roster, the pandemic era stands as a reminder of how foundational moments can come from unexpected places. The bonds formed during that time remain part of the company’s DNA, even as the circumstances that created them fade further into the past.
Transcript: WrestlingInc
