Why Was Tony Schiavone Missing From AEW Dynamite?

In a rare occurrence, Tony Schiavone was absent from this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, sparking fan speculation about his absence.

The curiosity arose shortly after Schiavone tweeted—and quickly deleted—a pointed comment aimed at NJPW announcer Chris Charlton. This followed NJPW’s decision to suspend Charlton for two months due to anti-AEW remarks during Wrestle Dynasty, where Charlton referred to Tony Khan as a "money mark" and criticized AEW's booking of former NJPW talent.

Schiavone’s now-deleted tweet read:

“Speaking for all of us in AEW, GFY [go f*** yourself]. And speaking for all of us who have been around you, take a shower once in a while.”

During Dynamite, ROH lead announcer Ian Riccaboni joined Excalibur and Nigel McGuinness at the commentary desk, leading some fans to speculate that Schiavone’s absence was related to his tweet.

However, Dave Meltzer clarified the situation on Wrestling Observer Radio, dispelling rumors of disciplinary action. He stated:

“He wasn’t on the show tonight, and it’s nothing big or anything like that. When he wasn’t there, I started getting all these people going like, ‘Oh my god, did he get suspended for that text?’ but it was just a family situation. He’s fine, he’ll be back, I presume, on Saturday [for Collision]. It’s not anything to be alarmed over. He missed one show.”

It appears that Schiavone’s absence was purely personal and unrelated to his controversial tweet.