Former WWE announcer Jonathan Coachman recently appeared on Eric Bischoff’s podcast Bischoff on Wrestling to talk about various topics. During the interview, he was asked about his WWE departure. Coachman was with WWE from 1999 – 2008. He noted ESPN brought him in for an audition and they told him if it went well then they offer him an anchor position. He said that they called him while he was on his way home and offered him the position. He said that the next week the news got out and that Kevin Dunne called him in and asked if he was talking with ESPN and if he was leaving WWE.
He said that WWE wanted to him to sign a new deal. Coachman told him that he had to go because he never knew if he would get another opportunity like this. Dunn said that they would be taking him off the air. Coachman thought that he was being punished at first. Dunn told him that he was not being punished and that WWE respects him. Dunn brought up that Coachman and his wife was expecting their first child and that WWE wants them him to be there for that so they decided to put Mick Foley in Coachman’s spot as SmackDown commentator.
He noted that he stayed home and saw the birth of his daughter. Dunn told him that if WWE needed him, then they would call him. He noted that shortly before he started with ESPN, WWE called him and needed him to tape something in the studio. When he arrived at WWE HQ, there was a big tent set up in the parking lot and threw him a going away party. “I thought that spoke volumes for our relationship. Spoke volumes of them. I always tell people if you treat people with respect they are going to respect you back.” Coachman noted that his relationship with WWE is to this day as good as when he left the company.
You can listen to the podcast here.
