Backstage details on Tony Khan bringing in 37-year-old name for AEW Collision - Reports

A former WCW veteran was absent from the recent episode of AEW Collision and was replaced by a 37-year-old name, and there are more details on why the veteran could not be present on the show.

The 37-year-old name in question is the current Ring of Honor commentator, Ian Riccaboni. Ian was called in as a replacement for the veteran announcer, Tony Schiavone, on the recent episode of AEW Collision. As Schiavone could not be seen on the show due to undisclosed reasons, fans on the internet were concerned.

Meanwhile, the reason for Tony Schiavone's absence from Collision has been revealed. Speaking on a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that the reason for Schiavone's absence was that he lost his dog recently:

"So, Ian Riccaboni was there. It's not a permanent move for him to be there. What happened was, Tony Shiavone's dog died, and best wishes to Tony Shiavone, 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." [H/T Ringside News]

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The 37-year-old announcer could replace Tony Schiavone whenever he doesn't want to work on AEW

Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio also noted that the 37-year-old current Ring of Honor announcer, Ian Riccaboni, is likely to replace Tony Schiavone whenever he is not present for commentary going forward:

"If Tony [Schiavone] didn't want to work, then Ian would be there, and lead the show." [H/T Ringside News]

Moreover, it can't be denied that AEW has one of the best sets of announcers and broadcasting teams in the world, and Tony Schiavone has been the cornerstone. Only time will tell when Schiavone will be seen back on the desk.

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