The Unusual WWE Initiation Tony Schiavone Went Through

AEW announcer Tony Schiavone has revealed the initiation new production staffers were put through when they joined WWE.

Tony Schiavone is best known for his work in Jim Crockett Promotions, WCW, and now AEW, but the veteran announcer also enjoyed a short spell in WWE as the eighties turned to the nineties.

His most notable assignments in Vince McMahon’s company were when he was on the call for SummerSlam 1989 and the 1990 Royal Rumble before leaving the company in April 1990 and returning to WCW which was now owned by TBS.

Tony Schiavone Recalls Real American Tradition In WWE

Speaking on his What Happened When podcast, Tony Schiavone was asked about any initiations he witnessed or was part of during his time in WWE and could only remember one Hulk Hogan-themed one:

I just know that when – and this was a very lame initiation. But when somebody new came in like me and you would be brought up to – there was a place like a lunchroom and if somebody new in production came up, you had to sing Hulk Hogan’s song. That was all.

Schiavone’s gentle revelation might come as a relief to WWE as the culture of the company is under the spotlight in a big way.

Vince McMahon has been accused of sex trafficking and sexual assault in a lawsuit that ultimately saw him leave his role with WWE. The culture of hostility and fear Vince McMahon is alleged to have created was recently explained by former writers in the company.

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