AEW commentator Tony Schiavone spoke WWE Hall of Famer Sting’s surprise debut at Winter Is Coming on the latest episode of “What Happened When.” Highlights are below.
Says it felt good to call out Sting’s name:
It felt good. It was quite a night on many levels. I had heard that Sting was coming in and that’s all I heard that they were talking to Sting and it looks like Sting was coming in. That’s all they would let me know as much as I am behind the scenes.
Details how he found out Sting would be making his AEW debut:
When I got there that day, we had the meeting the night before and when Tony Khan goes over the meeting, he will just say for instance, he said ‘Cody and Darby will have the match against Team Taz. The match is scheduled for whatever, five minutes plus the commercial break and then five minutes on the back end. At the bottom, it said five minutes for a post-match angle and it will be really cool.’ That’s all he said during the meeting on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I got there and I was told Sting is coming tonight. I’m thinking this is some big s**t. Sting doesn’t come until late and me and JR and Tony Khan and Excalibur go back in the trailer where Sting and his wife were in and we talk to them. He was really in a good mood and excited. Tony is really excited to talk to him. We talked about how we were going to do this.
Calling Sting’s name the way he used to on WCW:
Tony said to the announce team, ‘It’s Sting the way you used to say it because that is what is going to sell this.” I said, ‘ok, I hope I can still do it.’ As the day progressed, I started to put pressure on myself if I could still do this. I didn’t go back and listen to it, but I think my voice cracked a little bit. My voice is not what it was 20 years ago.
Check out Schiavone’s full thoughts below. (H/T and transcribed by Wrestling News)