Todd Grisham has finally explained the story behind his infamous commentary call during Christian’s return to WWE in 2009. Fans have long criticized the lack of enthusiasm in Grisham’s voice when Christian appeared on ECW to confront Jack Swagger, simply stating, “It’s Christian.”
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Grisham revealed that the understated reaction was a direct order from Vince McMahon moments before the segment began.
“I’m standing in Gorilla about to walk out, and Vince had glasses on his nose, and he did one of these [come here gestures],” Grisham said. “I’m like, Okay, I walk over. He’s just said to me, ‘When Christian walks out, I want you to just say “it’s Christian”, and that’s it. Understand?’ I’m like, Yes, sir. And I’m thinking, Oh my god. So that’s how I did it. But I felt like, How do I do it? So I almost did it, like in my brain, like I couldn’t believe it. I was stunned silence, like, ‘It’s Christian. How Can this possibly be?’ So that’s how I tried to do it.”
Grisham admitted that he still receives backlash from fans who believe he ruined the moment. He explained that McMahon had a specific view of the former World Heavyweight Champion that influenced the booking.
“And, man, that’s probably the most criticism I get from fans,” Grisham said. “Like, ‘Why does Todd hate Christian? Why did he do that? He ruined it.’ But Vince just did not like Christian. I think he thought he liked big guys, and he thought Christian just didn’t look the part. But he was such a good in-ring performer. I mean, has he ever had a bad match?”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
