AEW's Tony Schiavone Explains Why He Doesn't Pay Attention To WWE

Much has been said about the level of competition between WWE and AEW, with some going as far as declaring a war between the promotions in terms of ratings and PR. While it's true that they're competition in the way that they're both wrestling promotions, not everyone sees direct conflict between the two companies. That includes AEW commentator Tony Schiavone, who revealed on "What Happened When" that he does not keep up with WWE's onscreen product.

"What they do does not impact me at all," Schiavone said. "People may say, 'Well, yes it [does], because there's a war going on and you're competing for numbers.' You know what? It ain't what you think. This is not the 90s."

To further illustrate his point, Schiavone pointed out that "WWE Raw" is heading to Netflix at the beginning of next year, where traditional ratings won't even be a factor any longer. Compared to the "Monday Night War," when Schiavone was part of WCW and competing with WWE head-to-head for ratings, things could hardly be more different.

"If you get tied up into what they're doing, you're focusing on the wrong thing," Schiavone continued. "You need to focus on your s**t. At least from my perspective, okay?"

Schiavone compared his attitude on the matter to his favorite baseball commentator, the late Vin Scully. The Los Angeles Dodgers commentator once said that he refused to listen to other MLB announcers, presumably in an effort to preserve his own unique style.

Since the first episode of "AEW Dynamite" in 2019, Schiavone has served as one of the promotion's primary voices. Additionally, Schiavone spent more than a decade calling matches for WCW, and had a one-year stint working for WWE in 1989 and 1990.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "What Happened When" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.