Former WWE announcer and current ESPN analyst Jonathan “The Coach” Coachman recently did an interview with Tech Times, discussing WWE Monday night RAW going to three-hours, fans complaining about the product and more. Here are some highlights:
On RAW being three hours: “You get to have three hours. And by the way, I think that’s a mistake. I think two hours is plenty. Even in the early 2000s, when there were at least 15 main-event legit stars, it was still only a two-hour show. I understand contracts and TV money — I get all that — but I wish they would [go] back to two hours. That would really help.”
On fans complaining about the product: “Well, one thing that frustrates me and always has about wrestling fans who love the business, is they don’t quite understand how difficult a business this is. What I mean by that is we all have our favorite shows and if NCIS, which is one of my favorite shows, if that was 52 weeks a year, you better believe there’d be a few episodes that weren’t as good as the others. The way Vince has chosen to do his business is to not have an off-season. That’s what he chose to do. So, I always encourage fans to, instead of complaining about, ‘Oh, this show wasn’t good or this show wasn’t good,’ just enjoy it for what it is.”
On Shane McMahon vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania: “However, Shane McMahon has always been a dynamic performer. The Undertaker is now at a point where he put his body through almost everything he possibly could and he’s able to get up about once a year, twice a year and still have a magical Undertaker performance. That’s what I expect from WrestleMania. That’s what WrestleMania is all about. It’s about surprising the fans with something big and Hell in a Cell is not something you just throw out there. Hell in a Cell is something that rarely could you find two guys who are willing to do it, but can do it to the extent where the fans leave saying, ‘Holy crap! What did I just watch?’ Shane McMahon has always been willing to put his body on the line and [his] reputation on the line. He’s been gone for such a long time for whatever the reasons are and for him to come back, it shocked a lot of people, and that’s what Raw and the business is about. It’s hard to do that week in and week out. If you can, it becomes magic.”
