Alex Marvez has an interview up with former WWE performer Jonathan “The Coach” Coachman where he talks about leaving the company for ESPN. Here are some highlights.
On his jump from WWE to ESPN:
“Sportscasting has always been my dream. I enjoy wrestling and I’m a fan, but I never wanted to spend my whole life in it. This was a no-brainer for me.”
On when things became too much for him in WWE:
“It really started to wear on me the last couple of years. I enjoyed the (WWE) job, but not the travel. Toward the end between doing games and WWE shows, I was on the road five days a week for 51 weeks a year. I also got married, which put strain as well.”
On announcing vs. being a character on TV:
“In the GM-type role, I got to be creative writing my own (interviews). It got to the point that announcing for me wasn’t all that much fun because we didn’t really get to do what we wanted. As good as Vince was to us, he could be very controlling. I understand that. This is his baby. In the last 18 months when I was at MSG and asked (by WWE) to do a few things a legit sports guy wouldn’t do, I questioned that a little bit. But I also found quite a bit of our (WWE) audience — maybe 95 percent — doesn’t watch real sports. I never received any backlash whenever I did something a little off-color.”
On if he would ever make a return to WWE:
“I have nothing against WWE. I still talk to a lot of those guys and occasionally go see them backstage. But that chapter in my life is certainly closed. There’s no chance I’m going back.”
To check out the full interview, click here.