Tony Schiavone has been around wrestling (on and off) for decades, having spent time in AEW, WCW, and even WWE. That means Schiavone has been around performers with the fiercest reputations in the industry, but one New Japan Pro-Wrestling star stands out to the longtime commentator, as revealed on his podcast, "What Happened When." With ROH star Dalton Castle as a guest, the topic turned to NJPW star EVIL, and Schiavone asked his guest how EVIL compares to another of the promotion's wrestlers."Is he as tough as Tomohiro Ishii is?" Schiavone asked. "[Ishii], to me, is one of the toughest men I've ever seen in my life. The guy can almost blow out a hamstring and still perform, still pick up somebody in the ring. Just unbelievable. Just as tough as they come, just what a pro."Ishii has been a frequent guest in AEW over the past several years. He even serves as a member of The Conglomeration alongside Orange Cassidy, Mark Briscoe, and others. Sadly, Ishii has dealt with a string of injuries as of late. In addition to the injury described by Schiavone, it was recently revealed that the man known as the "Stone Pitbull" would have to back out of the New Japan Cup after hurting his neck.Following his comments on Ishii, Schiavone noted his surprise at the fact that AEW has yet to run a show in Japan, especially considering their working relationship with NJPW. The closest that company has come was last year's Wrestle Dynasty event in Tokyo, which was co-promoted by NJPW, AEW, CMLL, ROH, and STARDOM.If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "What Happened When" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
