Tony Schiavone On Working With Ricky Steamboat Over The Years, His AEW Arrival

A number of wrestling legends have come through AEW in its short history, with names like Ricky Steamboat, Jake Roberts, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, and Sting returning to the spotlight for the first time in years. Due to his history with quite a few of them, Tony Schiavone is really glad he's gotten the chance to rekindle some old friendships. 

On a recent episode of "What Happened When," Schiavone took a minute to appreciate the career of Steamboat specifically, reminding listeners that "The Dragon" actually made a name for himself in the Mid-Atlantic territory long before his exploits in WWE and WCW. 

"With the exception of grey hair, he looks pretty much the same," Schiavone said of Steamboat. "He was a phenomenal star in the Mid-Atlantic. Even though fans remember him more as Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat — WrestleMania III against Randy Savage and then coming to work for WCW — this [Mid-Atlantic] is where he made his name. Ric Flair is the man he made his name with. Everybody thinks of his '89 series with Flair but there were so many phenomenal matches that fans on a national basis, or even regional basis, never saw — unless you went to the Greensboro Coliseum."

Most recently, it was Schiavone who set up the logistics for Steamboat to appear as a special enforcer for a match on "AEW Collision." Schiavone revealed the 70-year-old Steamboat was initially hesitant to take a bump during the match, notably being whipped with a belt by Ricky Starks. "He was very cautious in the beginning ... 'I don't want to do this and that' ... but when he got the arena, it all changed. He got into the excitement of it. It was really great working with him."