Tony Khan Comments On How He Produces AEW Announcers

During a recent interview on Sports Media with Richard Deitsch, AEW President Tony Khan discussed how he produces AEW's announcers, and why Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone are two of the greatest wrestling announcers of all time.

On how he produces AEW's announcers:

"Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone are both two of the greatest wrestling announcers of all time, and like you said, I think they add a lot of credibility to the show. The two of them are in the booth along with a great play-by-play announcer in Excalibur, who is very versatile and adds a lot. The three of them do a great job together. Jim probably isn't as great in terms of trying to be himself which is the greatest wrestling announcer of all time and process the feedback he's getting in his ear. So, Jim, of the three, is probably the one I engage with the least because I'm very hands-on formatting and producing - both going into the show and as it's happening. I do talk to the announcers, but probably more to [Excalibur] and Tony than to Jim. I think Jim, since it's not the way he's managed best, I don't try to manage him that way. It's easier to try to get across a story, a moment, or something that just happened or is going to happen going forward - whatever we need in that moment - I can often address it with Jim, but he's in the zone and flow. So, it's easy to also talk to Tony and Mark."

On Tony Schiavone:

"They're a huge part of the show and the announcers, for the audience at home, give perspective and information - not only for the business of the show but also for the emotion and excitement and action. They're the voices. The announcers are huge for us. We also have international announcers that all around the world are providing that insight, but certainly, I think the most famous wrestling announcer in the world is probably Jim Ross. Tony Schiavone, he had kind of been out of action for a long time, and Conrad [Thompson] helped bring him back into prominence on a podcast. I think myself and a lot of people starting scratching our heads wondering where was Tony Schiavone and why wasn't he working. The more you listen to him talk about how much he misses wrestling and how much he wants to be in it - he wants to help the young announcers, he wants to produce other people's segments and give insight when he's not on screen. The more I thought about these things, the more I thought he was a perfect fit for us....I think it starts and ends on the broadcast with the announcers. For the fans at home at least, they can make or break it."