Starrcast took place today before the huge AEW All Out PPV tonight. One of the panels at the event included the legendary Jim Ross and he revealed to the audience the official announcing team for AEW on TNT when it debuts in October.
411mania reported that Jim Ross said that the official announcer team for AEW on TNT is officially himself, Tony Schiavone and Excalibur.
.@JRsBBQ confirmed the broadcast team for AEW on TNT is himself, @tonyschiavone24 and @ShutUpExcalibur
— 411 Wrestling (@411wrestling) August 31, 2019
This is huge news and is a complete turnaround from what Tony Schiavone himself said last week, making it look like AEW wanted the news hidden until Starrcast.
Previously, Tony Schiavone said that he would be working in the back when AEW on TNT premieres working on videos for the show. However, Schiavone was with Ross at this panel and it sounds like he was just delaying the official announcement
This will also be interesting because Schiavone is also working for Major League Wrestling as their lead announcer and this would put him on two different weekly shows on top of his commitments for the Georgia football and baseball program and his minor league announcing duties.
Also at the panel, Schiavone made some jokes about how Dusty Rhodes told him that as long as he was in wrestling, Dusty would be his boss. Now, Cody Rhodes is his boss and Schiavone exclaimed that he still is working for a Rhodes.
.@tonyschiavone24 said that for his 40th birthday, Dusty told him that as long as he's in wrestling, "I'll always be your boss."
Now that he's working for Cody, "son of a bitch, he still is!"#Starrcast #StarrcastIII
— 411 Wrestling (@411wrestling) August 31, 2019
Tony Schiavone also said at the panel that he wasn’t sure if he could help AEW if he came back to the sport and Jim Ross let him know that was “bullsh*t,” showing respect for the man he worked with at WCW before he ever left for WWE.
@JRsBBQ on AEW: "We're going to make some mistakes through raw enthusiasm and trying new things, but it's going to be a great adventure." #StarrcastIII #Starrcast
— 411 Wrestling (@411wrestling) August 31, 2019
The official panel at Starrcast was titled “Turner Memories,” referencing the long-standing relationship between Ted Turner networks and professional wrestling.
AEW All Out airs on Saturday night at 8/7c on B/R Live.