Tony Schiavone On Working With Jim Ross Through The Decades
Speaking recently on What Happened When, AEW commentator Tony Schiavone recalled his history working alongside fellow colleague Jim Ross in JCP, WCW, and AEW.
Schiavone spoke about the times he had friction with Ross as well as his admiration for Good Ol’ JR over the course of their careers.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On his initial reaction to Ross joining JCP in 1987: “When he first came in, I wasn’t exactly sure how they would use me. There’s always a paranoia in wrestling, and I think it comes from the old days [of] not trusting promoters. Did I feel threatened by JR? At first, I did. But when I got to know him, I realized he was really easy to work with, and he was a good advisor to me. He’s basically the one that negotiated my contract when WCW took over from Jim Crockett Promotions. He used to tell me, ‘You always have to think you’re the best announcer in wrestling.’ He said I shouldn’t be doing this if didn’t believe that.”
On the fact that David Crockett had greater issues with Ross’ arrival than Schiavone did: “I think David thought JR came in and broke up the Crockett-Schiavone team, which he did. I don’t think David ever said anything about it, but I got a feeling he was [upset].”
On the WON article that suggested Ross and Schiavone’s personal heat was why Schiavone left for WWE temporarily: “That’s a lie and it’s bullshit. When I went to WWF, I wrote Jim a nice letter on how much he meant to my career. Now, Jim and I didn’t stay in contact, but that’s just the kind of person I am. No, we did not have any heat. That is a lie by Dave Meltzer, is what it is. There’s no basis for that at all. I got along with Jim and admired him.”
On his admiration for Ross and how he expresses it: “I told him, ‘Be fucking JR, man. You’re the man. Never forget who you were, and how you pushed along the greatest era in WWE history.’”
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