Tony Schiavone Calls Ospreay/Omega Forbidden Door Match The Best He's Been A Part Of
Tony Schiavone has seen a lot of wrestling in his lifetime. From decades on commentary for WCW to being with AEW from the beginning, it's not unreasonable to wonder about his favorite match he's been a part of. On "What Happened When," Schiavone went through some highlights.
"When people ask me 'Is [Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay] the greatest match you've ever been a part of,' I would say yes it is. That's a kind of difficult statement to make because I don't recall every match I've done obviously. Because I've done so many. I've done a lot of great matches, many matches. The thing of it is, most of the matches that I remember doing are the bad ones and the ones that have had issues. For instance, Sting and Hogan in Starrcade '97. That sticks in my memory because of the f***ed-up finish."
"But as far as guys being able to perform, and drama, and fans being a part of it, I would say Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay was the best match I've ever been a part of," Schiavone explained, "I can also go back to Revolution in 2020, right before the pandemic, when Omega and Hangman faced the Young Bucks. That was another one of the greatest matches. People ask me what's my favorite match to call. It's still Hogan and Boss Man from Madison Square Garden. It was a great match, but not because of the match, so much as because it was my first time calling a big match at Madison Square Garden."
Kenny Omega and stealing the show
Though Omega vs. Ospreay has received widespread praise across the wrestling world, the match was not the main event of AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. Instead, the event was headlined by Kazuchika Okada and Bryan Danielson. Schiavone went over how he felt looking over the night's match order.
"To me, Kenny Omega is one of the best performers I've ever been around in my life. Will Ospreay, I've seen some of his matches, but not as many as a lot of people who've followed New Japan Pro Wrestling. I have such a respect for both men, and I knew going in that this was going to be something," Schiavone said, "I knew going in this could be something special. I knew going in when I saw the card that Okada and Danielson deserve to be the main event, but that [Ospreay] and Omega would steal the show."
Regardless of the show-stealing nature of Omega and Ospreay's sequel to their Wrestle Kingdom bout, Okada and Danielson still drew heavy praise from fans. After the fact, Danielson's performance became more impressive with knowledge of the injury he sustained shortly into the match. Despite the injury to his arm, Danielson continued and finished the match with Okada.