AEW's Tony Schiavone Explains How Honored He Is To Be On Big Bill's Ass
AEW star Big Bill (AKA William Morrissey) has gone through many ups and downs in his career, from the early days of Enzo Amore and Big Cass through his eventual WWE release and substance abuse struggles. These days, Morrissey has made it through recovery and reinvented himself in AEW as part of The Learning Tree, where he wears trunks bearing the words "Too much man," a quote from commentator Tony Schiavone.
Speaking on his podcast, "What Happened When," Schiavone revealed that Morrissey, as Big Cass, was the first wrestler he watched after avoiding the subject for many years after the collapse of WCW. While Schiavone wasn't an immediate fan, Morrissey has won him over in the years since.
"Isn't it amazing that he was the first person that I would see in 18 years of not watching wrestling, and then eight years later almost, I would be on his f***ing trunks," Schiavone said. "Big Bill ... is one of the great human beings in wrestling, and has one of the great stories in wrestling. ... I'm so proud — I really am — to be on his trunks."
Tony Schiavone On Big Bill & The Learning Tree
After being released from WWE in 2018, Morrissey had a public battle with alcoholism, eventually leading to the former Big Cass suffering a seizure during an independent show. He then got sober and made his AEW debut in 2022.
Schiavone admitted to jokingly texting Conrad Thompson in 2017 to chide his co-host for forcing him to watch WWE and learn who Big Cass was. However, once Schiavone got to know Morrissey, the AEW commentator had nothing but positive things to say about the former WWE star. In addition to praising his talents as a wrestler, Schiavone called Morrissey one of the best people he knows.
Morrissey's current position in AEW has seen him serving as a lackey for Chris Jericho, who Schiavone credits for continuing to reinvent himself and bringing others along for the ride. As part of the partnership, Morrissey's latest match saw him team with Jericho and Jeff Cobb in a losing effort against HOOK, Samoa Joe, and Katsuyori Shibata at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door last month.