"He didn't single me out or anything" - WWE announcer recalls his first meeting with Vince McMahon
WWE announcer Jimmy Smith recently spoke about working with Vince McMahon and recalled his first meeting with The Chairman.
Smith joined the RAW commentary team in May 2021 as a play-by-play commentator. He worked with Bellator and UFC before making his way to replace then RAW announcer Adnan Virk.
Jimmy Smith was on the latest episode of The Universal Wrestling Podcast this week. He recalled meeting with Mr. McMahon after his first episode as a WWE announcer. The 44-year-old mentioned that it was a quick interaction with the Boss and he had some specific instructions for him.
Here's what Jimmy had to say:
"I don't think I said anything to him until the end of the show. He didn't single me out or anything. I finished and he's in the hallway. I go over to him and he goes, ' Very good, very good first show. I need you to do this, this and that. Stay away from this and we'll work on it.' That was it," Smith recalled. "The idea that the way WWE does things specifically is very much part of the instructions that I get from Vince McMahon." (From 24:40 - 25:42)
You can watch the full video here:
Vince McMahon wrestled a match against Pat McAfee at WrestleMania
Mr. McMahon had a not-so-pleasant encounter with another announcer, Pat McAfee, at WrestleMania 38 earlier this year.
The SmackDown commentator defeated Theory at The Show of Shows with McMahon at ringside. After the match, Vince entered the ring and decided to take on a spent McAfee to avenge the loss of his protégé.
WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!
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The WWE Chairman picked up an easy win and was celebrating with Theory when Stone Cold Steve Austin's music hit. The Texas Rattlesnake stormed to the ring and doled out Stunners to the rookie, his former boss and even McAfee.
Smith's account is an interesting take on how involved Mr. McMahon is with the creative process in WWE. While some fans would like to see Triple H in charge of creative, it looks like Vince is holding on to the reins for now.
While using the quotes from this article, please credit The Universal Wrestling Podcast and add a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcript.