AEW's Tony Schiavone Misses House Shows

Combining house shows, televised events, and pay-per-views, WWE traditionally ran about 300 shows per year. Under the TKO banner, however, that number has gradually lessened, specifically due to the reduction of WWE house shows. In AEW's case, its respective event schedule has seemingly been eradicated as the last one took place in June 2023.

"I miss the house shows," AEW broadcaster Tony Schiavone said on "What Happened When." "It's a different vibe to it, a lot of excitement. The guys approach it differently. It's one of them lost arts, man. It's like any other sport. I've said this many times, college football is not a football game anymore, it's a television show. Television has changed the dynamic of everything, and then with streaming and the money that television networks and streaming services are putting out, the reason college football is in the shape it's in is because all the money ESPN and CBS is paying for all this stuff."

Typically, house shows form a more intimate environment, with a smaller crowd-size and more interactions from the wrestlers on the card. As former WWE Women's World Champion Liv Morgan previously pointed out, they also provided an opportunity for up-and-coming talents to get extra in-ring reps, which in turn helps them improve and further hone their skills.

Recently, WWE held a string of house shows, also called live events, across the continent of Europe. These events featured a mix of talents from "WWE SmackDown" and "WWE Raw," including Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER, and Morgan.

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.