Jonathan Coachman recently opened up about his interactions with Vince McMahon, highlighting the WWE magnate’s hands-on approach in instructing TV commentators.
In the latest episode of the “Insight” podcast, Coachman addressed stories about McMahon shouting instructions through the headset to commentators. He stated,
“Scale it from 1 to 10, the intensity is generally a 4. He’d only raise his voice when you didn’t deliver the line when he expected you to. Suppose, Cody Rhodes is making his entrance. He’d dictate something like, ‘Cody Rhodes has a big night ahead this Saturday,’ and so on. But if you pay close attention to Michael Cole, you’ll identify the moment when Vince stopped intervening because picture enduring 20 years of verbal lambasting.”
In terms of discussing Michael Cole further, Coachman drew a comparison between Vince McMahon’s intensive style and the more hands-off approach of Triple H who now commands. He remarked,
“In his over 25 years tenure, I believe Michael Cole has not missed a single show. During my first decade there, I missed only one episode and that was my honeymoon. That’s the reality they create, with Vince projecting as if this was your own show and your constant presence was necessary. Imagine the likes of Jim Nance or Joe Buck working all 52 weeks of the year. It’s unreasonable! Now Cole must be feeling relieved because Triple H’s perspective is, if you can’t nail it after a quarter-century, nothing could possibly help you.”
Coachman also shared an instance where Vince McMahon reproached him for his commentary about wrestler Test during a show. He recalled,
“There was this time when I made an offhand comment about Test, may his soul rest in peace. I mentioned something along the lines that he was feeble, [upon which Vince reacted] ‘You’re assassinating his character. What on earth are you up to? You’ve just destroyed his character. He’s ruined. He’s ruined!’ My goodness. Oh my goodness. Meanwhile, you’re tasked with continuing to narrate the match. The match is still in progress.”