For decades, Vince McMahon ruled over WWE with an iron fist, with rules and methods, some of which on the surface, seemed like madness to fans. This week, John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield was on the Something to Wrestle podcast and shared new insight to McMahon’s approach to commentary.
“Vince didn’t like a lot of things like ‘very,’. Like you’re ‘very’ happy… Vince didn’t like that because he thought it sounded redneck-ish, stupid.”
Another word the ‘very’ wealthy McMahon discouraged was “that,” which he felt signaled a lack of proper diction. JBL gave the example in which commentators were required to specify whether a left or right arm was being targeted, rather than ambiguously referring to “that” arm.
JBL initially joined WWE’s commentary team in 2006 but returned to active in-ring competition in late 2007. Following Jerry Lawler’s heart attack in 2012, JBL stepped back behind the commentary desk, where he remained a fixture on Raw and SmackDown until 2017.
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These insights further illustrate McMahon’s micromanagement style, which shaped WWE commentary for decades. In 2008, Mick Foley had a brief stint as a commentator but described McMahon’s control as overbearing. Earlier this year, Michael Cole shared that McMahon’s demands during live tapings were not only intense but occasionally crossed professional boundaries, noting, “He said things to me that were inappropriate.”
Nowadays, McMahon’s time screaming in headsets is a distant memory and Triple H has adopted a fresh approach with those behind the desk. Nevertheless, McMahon’s dominating attitude remains fresh in the minds of those who felt his wrath on the headset for decades.
