Friend Encounters: Tony Schiavone and Ty

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Today is another bittersweet picture. It features a departed friend meeting one of his favorites.

Ty was a buddy I met through conventions. Always smiling, he was a pleasure to see. I always enjoyed our short catchups. Ty died earlier this year. I am choosing to continue featuring him as my way of keeping his memory alive. I know he was a big fan at conventions and approved of my earlier posts whie he was alive. I think he would approve of these as well.

Last year, Ty traveled to Iowa for a Hall of Fame event. He went All Elite Wrestling announcer Tony Schiavone. A longtime broadcaster, Schiavone is a true legend in the sport. Like him or not, nobody can deny his impressive resume. Like Ty, I am a fan of Schiavone's work.

Ty has a lot more celebrity encounters and I will feature him here on occasion to remind myself of my old pal. RIP Ty.

Ty and Tony Schiavone in Waterloo, IA-June 2024.

Tony Schiavone at New York Comic Con 2021

New York Comic Con is less than a month away. Running October 6-10, it is one of the country's biggest comic cons. Once again, I will be "On the Beat" meeting celebrities and creators of all sorts.

Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting wrestling announcer Tony Schiavone

A while back when my creator friend Dirk Manning told me he was doing a book with Tony, I excitedly awaited the release. Graphic novel Butts in Seats: The Tony Schiavone Story came out recently and it is fantastic!

Tony has had a great career. With a broadcasting career going back to 1983, Tony has been a broadcaster for wrestling, baseball and more. Nearing 40 years behind the mic, Tony is still an underrated broadcaster, who deserves more credit and exposure.

Now as a Senior Producer and announcer for All Elite Wrestling, Tony is being exposed to another generation of wrestling fans. Already selling in crazy numbers, Butts in Seats is giving Tony even more exposure.

Butts in Seats is 148 pages of colorful stories of Tony's life in and out of the wrestling world. It's a quick read. I planned on just starting it and reading a bit each day for a while, but once in the book, I kept going. Kudos to Dirk, Tony and the other involved on a fantastic book.

When at NYCC last year, I talked to both Dirk and Tony about the book. They were very excited and proud. I met Tony a couple years ago, but this was the first time I really talked to Tony. He is such a genuinely nice guy. I am very happy for him.

Go to AllEliteWrestling.com for more info on Tony and all the wrestlers of AEW. Go to NewYorkComicCon.com for more info and updates.

Tony Schiavone and me in New York, NY-October 2021.

On the Beat With Dirk Manning

I have previously interviewed and written about comic-creator Dirk Manning many times. You can find past coverage by going to Dirk Manning on Johngy's Beat.

I first met Dirk many years ago at a comic con and have seen him many times since. He is always good for an update on his latest projects, as well as talking about wrestling, ice cream and other fun. Dirk has an extensive bibliography and I am a devoted reader of his works, but I have never been as excited as I am about his latest project, Butts In Seats: The Tony Schiavone Story.

Wednesday evening, I had the pleasure of doing an interview with Dirk about Butts In Seats, as well as his other projects. We even squeezed in a little ice cream talk. I have been excited about this book from the first time I read about it in one of Dirk's social media posts. An admitted "unabashed wrestling fan," Dirk is the perfect person to write this story with Tony. Dirk understands and appreciates the wrestling business. He is also an extremely talented writer. Add Tony's collaboration and this book promises to be a winner.

Tony has had an interesting career. Falling in love with wrestling, becoming an announcer, leaving wrestling, broadcasting baseball and returning to wrestling are just part of Tony's journey. Although wrestling is a big part of this book, it's not the whole story. Butts In Seats can be enjoyed be anyone, wrestling fan or not. I have ordered the book and I encourage everyone to check out the Kickstarter campaign to learn all about it, which will lead you to buying the book. Once I get it, I will be reviewing it here, although I don't think Dirk or Tony have any worries. I am confident this book is going to be awesome.

I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I enjoyed talking to Dirk. I appreciate Dirk for all of the entertainment he has provided me in written form and I appreciate his friendship even more. I thank Dirk for taking time from his current insanely busy schedule to give me this fun interview.

Go to the Butts In Seats: The Tony Schiavone Story Kickstarter page for more info. Also, check out Dirk's other work at DirkManning.com and look for him on social media. Also, go to AllEliteWrestling.com for more on Tony and the whole organization.

Tony Schiavone at C2E2 2019

Before cable television, I only read about NWA wrestling. I read about all of the legendary wrestlers and the great history, but I never saw any shows, other than from video tapes.

Once I finally got cable, the first voice I heard oon NWA broadcasts on TBS was announcer Tony Schiavone.

He had started with the NWA in 1985. After a short stint in the WWF, Schiavone returned to TBS with the NWA/WCW, where he would remain until the WWE bought the WCW in 2001.

Schiavone has had his share of critics (like most announcers), but I enjoyed his work throughout the years. He adds the right amount of hype and excitement, without overdoing it.

Since leaving wrestling, he kept busy with minor league baseball and other broadcasting endeavors. He also has been involved with a couple wrestling-related podcasts.

Schiavone recently joined All Elite Wrestling for their tv debut. It was great hearing him back calling the action.

I am not yet sold on the AEW product. Maybe I am just a traditional WWE guy), but early indications are positive for the new company.

I had the pleasure of meeting Schiavone at C2E2 earlier this year. He was very friendly and willing to talk wrestling, baseball and anything else. He actually seemed very happy discussing baseball,probably because his Braves were doing well as always.

I don't think Schiavone gets enough credit when discussing great wrestling announcers. He has put in an excellent 15+ years calling action with several different partners. He was there for the lows and the highs at WCW. He called some of the greatest matches ever.

You can catch him on AEW every Wednesday night. You can also follow him at @TonySchiavone24 on twitter. Finally, check C2E2.com for news on C2E2 2020.

Tony Schiavone and me in Chicago, IL-March 2019.