Vince McMahon’s tenure as the lead announcer for the wwe is often viewed through a polarizing lens. From 1971 until 1997, the then-Chairman was the soundtrack to the company’s biggest moments, calling matches alongside legends like Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and Jerry “The King” Lawler. While his voice is iconic, critics have long derided his lack of technical knowledge, often pointing out his tendency to label every move a “maneuver” rather than calling it by its proper name.
On a recent episode of Something to Wrestle With, longtime WWE executive Bruce Prichard addressed this criticism directly. Prichard argued that viewing McMahon through the lens of a traditional play-by-play announcer is a fundamental misunderstanding of his role. According to Prichard, McMahon never intended to be a move-caller in the vein of Gordon Solie or Jim Ross. Instead, he viewed himself as a storyteller and a salesman whose primary job was to translate the emotion of the ring to the television audience.
“I think Vince saw himself as the voice of WWE, and he was the commentary. He felt that he knew how to sell it. A lot of people get confused with what Vince did,” Prichard explained. He frankly admitted that if one were to judge McMahon solely on technical play-by-play skills, the criticism was valid. “People get hung up on ‘Vince is the worst play-by-play guy in the business.’ He was, absolutely. But Vince didn’t do play-by-play.”
Prichard explained that McMahon’s style was designed to function more like that of a television host than a sports broadcaster. His goal was to guide the viewer through the narrative arc of the show, acting as the bridge between the promoter’s vision and the fan’s experience. While announcers like Jim Ross excelled at calling holds and strategy, McMahon focused entirely on the “why” of the match.
“Vince told stories, and the backdrop was a wrestling match. The idea behind the wrestling match was to tell you a story about why, what, and what have you, and to build excitement and build intrigue,” Prichard said. “Vince never claimed to be a play-by-play guy. He was your host. He was the guy that brought you through it. He was trying to look at it like a fan and a promoter to get you excited and do all this stuff.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Something to Wrestle With with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
