Tony Schiavone Recalls Commentary Partnerships With British Wrestling Royalty

AEW announcer Tony Schiavone has pulled back the curtain on his experiences working with two of Britain’s greatest wrestling exports during WCW’s strategic push into the United Kingdom market in 1993. On a recent episode of his popular podcast “What Happened When,” the current AEW broadcaster reminisced about his time sitting alongside Davey Boy Smith and William Regal for special UK-exclusive editions of “WCW Worldwide” that aired in prime Saturday afternoon slots on British TV.

These special broadcasts were designed specifically to appeal to the British market as WCW attempted to establish a foothold against WWE’s international dominance, creating unique commentary teams that paired Schiavone with local heroes who could connect with the UK audience.

According to Tony Schiavone, the two British legends approached their commentary duties with dramatically different attitudes. The “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, who worked with Schiavone ahead of WCW’s March 1993 UK tour, was notably reluctant about his announcing role.

I can tell you that Davey Boy Smith did not want to do commentary, but he did. It was very apparent as he said so to me, and I thought he did a great job for someone who didn’t want to do it. Sometimes when people don’t want to do that you can see it in their work, but he did a great job.

In stark contrast, William Regal – then performing as the aristocratic “Lord Steven Regal” – embraced the opportunity when he joined Tony Schiavone later that year before WCW’s October 1993 UK tour.

Lord Steven Regal on the other hand wanted to learn and wanted to get better, and learn how to become an announcer.

This professional relationship with Regal blossomed into a friendship that has endured for three decades, something Regal himself acknowledged during their time together in AEW.

When Regal was in AEW when he said how much I meant to his career and what I did for him, he’s talking about that time he and I worked together. We also did a lot of on-cameras and worked together with it, so that began what is still a very good friendship today.

These special UK broadcasts represented a significant moment in wrestling’s international expansion. For British fans, seeing their homegrown talents featured prominently alongside American wrestling stars created a deep connection with WCW programming that helped the company establish its identity in the competitive UK market.

Both British wrestlers went on to achieve considerable success after their commentary stints. Smith captured multiple championships in WWE, while Regal became renowned as a technical wrestling master before transitioning to influential backstage roles in talent development.

Tony Schiavone Discusses The Decline Of House Shows In Wrestling

Tony Schiavone has voiced his concerns about the diminishing role of non-televised house shows in professional wrestling, calling them “one of them lost arts” during the same episode of his podcast as he was watching footage of a WCW house show from Manchester, England

H/t to ITRWrestling.com