Tony Schiavone looks back on his legendary career as a wrestling commentator, one that included time with WWE, WCW, MLW, and now AEW. On the latest episode of his What Happened When podcast Schiavone reflected on some of the best matches that he’s gotten to call and how he’s been lucky enough to have been apart of so many. However, he also remembers the bad ones, like the finish to Hulk Hogan vs. Sting from Starrcade 1997.
I’ve called so many matches, or been a part of so many matches, in my career. When people ask me, ‘Is that the greatest match you’ve ever been a part of, I would say, ‘Yes, it is.’ That’s kind of a difficult statement to make because I don’t recall every match I’ve done, obviously, because I’ve done so many. I’ve done a lot of great matches. Most of the matches that I remember doing are the bad ones, and the ones that have had issues, like for instance Sting and Hogan at Starrcade ‘97. That sticks in my memory because of the fucked up finish. But as far as guys being able to perform and drama and fans being a part of it, I would say Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay was the best match I’ve ever been a part of.
Schiavone later recalls some of his earlier jobs at the commentary desk, including calling Hulk Hogan vs. Big Bossman at Madison Square Garden. However, Schiavone doubles-down on Omega and Ospreay being the best match he’s ever been involved with, adding that Omega is perhaps the greatest performer he’s ever seen.
I can also go back to Revolution 2020, right before the pandemic, when Omega and Hangman faced the Young Bucks. That was another one of the greatest matches. People ask me, ‘What’s my favorite match to call?’ It’s still Hogan and Bossman from Madison Square Garden. It was a great match, but not because the match so much as it was because it was my first time calling a big match at Madison Square Garden. So there’s a lot of reasons this is one of the best matches ever. To me, Kenny Omega is one of the best performers I’ve ever been around in my life. Will Ospreay, I’ve seen some of his matches, but not as many as a lot of people who have followed New Japan Pro-Wrestling. I have such a respect for both men, and I knew going in that this was going to be something special.
Elsewhere in the interview, Schiavone spoke about the finish to Bryan Danielson and Kazuchika Okada from Forbidden Door 2. You can read about that here.
(H/T and transcribed by Fightful)
