AEW commentator Tony Schiavone shared a heartwarming story on his “What Happened When” podcast this week about a recent chance encounter with wrestling legend Ric Flair at an airport.
Schiavone explained that after broadcasting AEW Collision from Atlantic City this past Saturday night, he was at the Philadelphia airport the next morning heading home when he ran into Flair, along with AEW stars Ricky Starks and Robert Gibson (“Ricky and Robert”). Schiavone and Flair ended up sitting beside each other on the flight.
According to Schiavone, Flair was recognized by another fan, and upon signing an autograph, Flair pointed to Schiavone and declared, “Here’s Tony Schiavone. He’s the one that made me famous.”
The interaction prompted Schiavone to reflect on their intertwined history, particularly during Flair’s rise to national prominence on TBS in the mid-1980s. “Of all the things I’ve done in my career, one of the most memorable ones… is being able to hold the microphone for Ric Flair,” Schiavone stated. He acknowledged that while others like David Crockett and Jim Ross also conducted interviews, he was frequently the one holding the mic during Flair’s iconic promos when Jim Crockett Promotions first gained national exposure on TBS in 1985.
“That means a lot to me, that he not only meant a lot to my career personally, but also here, there I am, in all those videos and all those pictures next to Ric Flair,” Schiavone added, appreciating the “full circle moment” of reconnecting with the Nature Boy.
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