AEW viewers were taken aback by Ian Riccaboni’s appearance on Collision this week, offering a refreshing change of pace to the usual commentary lineup. However, there was a poignant reason behind this shift behind the scenes.
Regular commentator Tony Schiavone, a fixture at the AEW Collision commentary table, suffered a significant personal loss as his beloved dog passed away.
In light of this, AEW management arranged for Ian Riccaboni to step in as a fill-in for the seasoned play-by-play specialist.
Ian Riccaboni’s presence on AEW Collision this week doesn’t seem to signify a permanent change for the show. Rather, it was necessitated by Tony Schiavone’s recent loss.
Dave Meltzer shed light on the situation during Wrestling Observer Radio, explaining that while Schiavone was present at Collision, Riccaboni was brought in as a precautionary measure.
“So, Ian Riccaboni was there. It’s not a permanent move for him to be there. What happened was, Tony Schiavone’s dog died, and best wishes to Tony Schiavone, really, really hard day for him, but he came, he was there.
They didn’t know, but he was there. Tony could have certainly taken the day off and, you know, there would have been no heat. Because of that, they brought Ian up there.”
Meltzer further elaborated that,
“if Tony didn’t want to work, then Ian would be there, and lead the show.”
