AEW news: Tony Schiavone says 'RIP Brother' to Hulk Hogan on Collision

After watching WWE give a massive tribute to Hulk Hogan on SmackDown, from a 10 bell salute to an expansive video package breaking down his wrestling journey, fans of professional wrestling openly wondered if AEW would offer up a similar honor to the deceased Superstar, who passed away unexpectedly at 71.

Though Hogan didn't work in AEW or with almost anyone within the promotion, one of the few exceptions was Tony Schiavone, who took some time at the top of AEW Collision to say RIP to his WC “brother.”

“Fans, we appreciate you being with us here on Collision each and every Wednesday or each and every Saturday. Don't forget Thursday will be Collision coming up live next week, and it was quite a week for all of us who have been in professional wrestling for a long time, with the unexpected death of Hulk Hogan. Hulk Hogan was the man who brought professional wrestling into the mainstream in the 80s and in the 90s,” Schiavone said.

“Right here on this network, right here on TNT, almost 30 years ago, Hulk Hogan lit the fire that began the Monday Night Wars and he also put WCW on the cable TV map right here on TNT. You know, sometimes we take a look at these stars that are bigger than life, and we forget that they are just like us, human, and we forget they have families that care about them. Our condolences go out to Hulk's family, his children, Brooke and Nick, his wife Skye, and if you've ever lost a member of your family, you have no idea what the pain they are going through right now. And believe you me, it is intense. From all of us here at All Elite Wrestling, RIP brother.”

Now granted, AEW wasn't exactly warm to Hogan during his final years, with Tony Khan banning the “Hulkamaniac” from his company for his racist remarks from a decade earlier. Still, it's nice to see that Khan allowed Schiavone to say some kind words to his former coworker, as his contributions to professional wrestling will live on forever.