Some strong accusations are being made by a legendary announcer who claims Vince McMahon offered him a job so that he could fire him. Wrestling fans have heard some wild stories about Mr. McMahon, so this one may not surprise you.

A current AEW announcer with a long history as a wrestling announcer recently shared his thoughts on why the WWE reportedly offered him a job in 2019. Former Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling announcer Tony Schiavone (who also worked in the WWF from 1989 to 1990) discussed the matter during a recent episode of his podcast, What Happened When:

"There is no question. There is no question, in my mind, that Vince wanted me to come there to fire me. Yeah, I believe that."

H/T Fightful

Schiavone's co-host Conrad Thompson asked him why he thought Vince offered him a job in 2019 to fire him. Schiavone replied:

"He wanted to hire me. I feel bad about Bruce [Bruce Prichard] because Bruce is in the middle of this and Bruce is a friend of mine and I believe anything Bruce tells me is legit and sincere. Vince wanted to hire me to keep me away from this upstart company AEW. COVID happened, they cut back, why not cut back on one of the newest guys that just arrived? There is no question I would have been let go."

Could Schiavone be accurate about Vince's motivation for offering him a job? As Inside the Ropes' Alex Hunt pointed out:

Another hiring tactic that McMahon utilized took place in 2019 when the WWE Chairman signed as many Superstars as possible to lucrative multi-year deals to stop them from considering a jump to AEW. Along with active stars, McMahon even extended his offer to announcers who had since departed the company.

H/T Inside the Ropes

The WWE's policy of signing wrestlers to long-term deals that give the WWE the option to release them after 90 days (regardless of how much time is left on their contract) while keeping them from leaving if they want to was shown when the WWE dumped a slew of Superstars during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Key Figure in Wrestling Announcing

Tony Schiavone was a key figure in JCP and WCW, hosting both promotions' top shows. However, he all but disappeared from wrestling after WCW went bankrupt in 2001. Although he kept busy as a play-by-play broadcaster for minor league baseball and the Georgia Bulldogs, he eventually returned to calling matches, debuting in Major League Wrestling in 2017.

While Schiavone was sometimes criticized for his "this is the greatest night in the history of our sport" calls on Nitro, the reality is that it was a catchphrase with many variations, as seen in the video below. Furthermore, like many wrestling announcers at the time, Schiavone had to call whatever WCW asked him to.

Schiavone's work in AEW should dispel any doubts about his talent at calling matches, building storylines, and adding excitement to shows without making himself the focus of things.

Mixed Feelings About Vince McMahon

Although Tony Schiavone only worked in the WWF for one year, he's praised his time in the company. In 2017, Schiavone appeared on the there podcast and discussed his 1990 exit from Titanland:

“When I went to Vince and told him I was leaving WWE he asked, “do you think Turner Broadcasting is going to care about your family and take care of your family like we do?” And I said, “no I don’t.” I was right because WWE was very much a family atmosphere. When it comes to Vince McMahon, I’ve always liked the guy and still have a fond place in my heart for him. I still say of all the years, and I love the Crocketts because they meant so much to me, I had some great years financially in WCW, but one year in the WWF back then was my finest year in pro wrestling. The one where I learned more about wrestling, television production and one where I enjoyed working more than any time ever!”

H/T Wrestling Inc.

Nonetheless, Schiavone had some strong words in 2019 when he learned Eric Bischoff was not being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame along with the nWo. Tony told Something to Wrestle With co-host Conrad Thompson he felt Vince was screwing Bischoff over. Thompson told Schiavone he was unlikely to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame due to Schiavone working for AEW. Tony replied: 

"That is f**king fine with me. I hope that I'm working for AEW until the day I die. Because, once it's all over with, my family has been instructed that if they want to induct me in any way, post-mortem, the answer from the family is 'no.' Don't expect for me to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame."

H/T Fightful

Do you think Vince offered Tony Schiavone a job so he could eventually fire him? 

Photo Credit: WWE