During a recent episode of his podcast, “What Happened When,” AEW broadcaster Tony Schiavone unveiled his thoughts on the transition of Monday Night Nitro becoming a weekly live show.
Below are notable insights from the podcast:
Schiavone’s thoughts on Monday Night Nitro evolving into a weekly live show were positive. “The approach struck me as a decent one. The direction of live wrestling appealed to me. There’s a unique thrill in doing something live – as Dusty Rhodes used to say, you’re sitting on the tail of a lightning bolt if your act is live. Thus, I appreciated the live element. I can recall some parts of it – like a few meetings. Eric emphasized that live was our direction and expressed a desire to make an impact by being a formidable rival to the WWF of that era.”
Schiavone reminisced about a lunch he had with Eric. “Eric and I had a meal together a few days prior at the Mall of America. Eric shared his belief that a total of five rating points were up for grabs in the wrestling market. He hoped that we would secure three of them, leaving two for the competition. As the Monday Night War progressed, the ratings scale extended beyond the initial five points. Eric seemed to have a vision but might not have fully anticipated how colossal things would become.”
Schiavone was also asked if wrestlers had issues with working on Thanksgiving. He responded positively saying, “Actually, working during the holiday season was quite thrilling. We drew substantial crowds which translated into significant earnings. It was sort of a tradition and a special time to clock in. The wrestlers would be at work even on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day as well. The holidays were usually profitable due to the attendance of sizable audiences.”
Below is an embedded video where more discussions from the podcast can be heard.