Tony Schiavone never set out to become one of the most recognizable voices in professional wrestling, but his path into the business came through the sport he originally wanted to call for a living.
During an appearance on Virginia This Morning to promote AEW Dynamite in Richmond, Schiavone opened up about his Virginia roots and how his broadcasting career started. He explained that after growing up in Craigsville, west of Staunton in Augusta County, he attended James Madison University before chasing a career behind the microphone. Schiavone made it clear that wrestling was not the original plan. Baseball was.
“I wanted to be a baseball announcer. That was my dream.”
Schiavone said James Madison hired him to do football play-by-play after he graduated, but he turned it down because he wanted to stay focused on baseball. That decision eventually led him to the job that changed everything.
“When I graduated from James Madison, they hired me to do their football play-by-play right out of college, and I turned it down because I wanted to do baseball.”
That baseball path wound up putting him in contact with the Crockett family, who ran Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. From there, Schiavone found himself entering the wrestling world at a time when very few people were trying to become wrestling announcers.
“My second job in baseball happened to be with the Crockett family that ran Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling.”
Schiavone said timing played a huge role in how his wrestling career came together, because he entered the business before wrestling announcing became a dream job for so many broadcasters.
“I think I was very fortunate in that time that I got in because not many people wanted to be a wrestling announcer at that time.”
From there, Schiavone became a familiar voice on TBS and worked with some of the biggest names in wrestling history. He also stepped away from the business for 18 years, calling baseball for the Gwinnett Braves, working Georgia football, and doing morning radio before returning to wrestling with AEW in 2019.
“There was 18 years, though, I didn’t do wrestling.”
Schiavone’s career came full circle in a big way, as the man who once only wanted to call baseball eventually became one of AEW’s signature voices. His story shows how one unexpected opportunity can completely change the direction of a career.
What do you think about Tony Schiavone’s journey from baseball broadcasting into professional wrestling? Share your thoughts in the comments and let us know what you think.
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