"I'm allowed to do whatever I need to do" - WWE commentator reveals conversations with Vince McMahon
WWE commentator Jimmy Smith was recently on a call with Renee Paquette and Miesha Tate’s ‘Throwing Down’ show. In the conversation, Smith talked about the Premium Live Event WWE Day 1 and the following episode of RAW. The commentator revealed during the call that Vince McMahon allows him the freedom to express himself in commentary.
Jimmy Smith has been commentating in Vince's promotion since May 2021. Smith is a former UFC and Bellator color commentator who has been trained by Michael Cole to cement his announcing role with the WWE.
The 44-year-old stated that most of his interactions with the CEO have been during production meetings. Adding to that, Jimmy Smith stated that Vince McMahon seldom intervenes and generally allows him whatever he needs to do in commentary.
"My interactions with Vince [McMahon]? We go to the production meetings for every show. We talk about what’s going on, what the thought process is behind everything (...) and that meeting kind of lays out how the show’s gonna go. You know, blah, blah, blah, ‘Here’s what we’re thinking,’ all that stuff (...) you know, once I’m on air, it’s kind of funny; generally, I’m allowed to just completely do whatever I need to do. [If] there’s something he needs to jump in and say, he does it but it’s pretty much the meetings before the show is when the vast majority of our interactions happen; are in that meeting," (H/T - Post Wrestling)
WWE today announced that @jimmysmithmma will debut as the play-by-play voice for #WWERaw starting this Monday, May 31 at 8/7c on @USA_Network.
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Backstage reaction for Jimmy Smith joining WWE RAW
Jimmy Smith debuted as the lead commentator for the red brand of Vince's promotion in June 2021.
The WWE Universe gave a pleasing reaction to Smith's debut but WrestleVotes caught up with the production people of RAW to find out their reaction. This is what they had to say:
"The RAW production people I've spoken with were absolutely thrilled with Jimmy Smith's performance last night. "Tremendous" & "Natural fit" were two comments concerning his debut," WrestleVotes tweeted.
The RAW production people I’ve spoken with were absolutely thrilled with Jimmy Smith’s performance last night. “Tremendous” & “Natural fit” were two comments concerning his debut.
What do you think of Jimmy Smith's performance as a commentator on RAW? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.