Tony Schiavone Comments On Cody Rhodes' WWE Royal Rumble Win

Tony Schiavone is one of AEW's lead commentators, and serves as the company's Senior Producer and Special Advisor to Talent. Though Schiavone no longer works with 2023 Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes, the two previously had a close relationship when Rhodes was an EVP at AEW. During the latest "What Happened When," the legendary voice of WCW shared his thoughts on Rhodes' big win over the weekend, one that will see him main event WrestleMania in just over two months.

When asked if he was happy about Rhodes winning the Royal Rumble, Schiavone replied, "Very much so." At the same time, the AEW producer admitted that he doesn't watch the WWE product, and he hasn't stayed in touch with Rhodes since "The American Nightmare" made the move from AEW to WWE. "I have no more contact with him," Schiavone said. "But that's not because of Cody. That's because of where he works."

The relationship between WWE and AEW has grown somewhat heated over the last six months, following reports of WWE reportedly trying to lure away contracted AEW talent in the wake of Paul "Triple H" Levesque's ascent to Chief Content Officer. Schiavone's reluctance to communicate with WWE employees likely traces back to him coming up in a different era, one in which it was considered frowned upon to associate with a competitor. Along with Schiavone, there are many at AEW who shared their public support for Rhodes, including Matt and Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks, who responded to a clear shout-out from Rhodes during the match. Additionally, AEW stars such as Tay Melo, Sammy Guevara, and Cody's brother Dustin Rhodes tweeted in support of the inaugural TNT Champion.