Real reason for AEW star’s sudden absence

A major AEW star has just set the record straight regarding their recent absence from the promotion. Many speculated that this could have been the repercussions of their recent actions, but this was just due to a family matter.

Tony Schiavone has been a staple of the commentary desk, as he works on both Dynamite and Collision at times. This past week, he was suddenly replaced by Ian Riccaboni. It was assumed that he was suspended due to his now-deleted post calling out Chris Charlton for his anti-AEW comments during Wrestle Dynasty.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer confirmed that this wasn't the case and that the veteran was absent due to a family matter. On a recent edition of his What Happened When podcast, Schiavone confirmed that this was due to his wife getting hip replacement surgery. He even joked that he had left her behind, attended Dynamite, and got himself suspended.

“Couldn’t have been it, no. No, as a matter of fact, she got out of the hospital on Wednesday, and so I just let her walk home from the hospital instead of picking her up, and I went to TV and got suspended. But she made it home about six hours later.” [H/T Fightful]

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What did the AEW veteran say to Chris Charlton?

NJPW English commentator Chris Charlton was under fire after the crossover pay-per-view as he leaned too much into his role as the heel commentator, with several negative comments against AEW. He called Tony Khan a "money mark" and criticized the promotion for signing several former NJPW stars, including Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay.

Tony Schiavone took to X/Twitter, called out Charlton, and threw a few insults his way. This post has since been deleted and may have been a spur-of-the-moment move from the veteran.

“Hey @reasonjp speaking for all us in AEW, GFY. And speaking for all of us who have been around you, take a shower once in a while.”

Tony Schiavone's absence was purely coincidental, but despite him saying that his wife is recovering well from surgery, it is still unclear whether he'll be around for this week's edition of Dynamite. In his stead, Ian Riccaboni or Nigel McGuinness could fill in.