Jonathan Coachman Addresses “WWE Shill” Criticism After TNA AMC Debate

Jonathan Coachman isn’t apologizing — and he isn’t softening his stance either.

Following backlash over his comments about TNA Wrestling’s debut on AMC, the former WWE personality posted a passionate video response on January 17 aimed directly at the portion of the fanbase that came after him online. Coachman framed the moment as a “reset,” but not for himself — for the people he believes rushed to judgment without understanding his perspective. He opened by making it clear exactly who his message was for and why he felt compelled to speak out.

“All right, guys, quickly. It's our Saturday reset. And normally I reset for me. But today is gonna be for you. Just you. Ten percent. The Internet Wrestling community.”

Coachman explained that he believes much of the criticism came from people who ignored the fact that he speaks from experience and operates on established platforms beyond social media. While he acknowledged that many listeners supported him, he also revealed the types of insults that flooded his mentions following his initial post about the TNA show.

“Because every time, and we talk about this all the time. Those of us who have a real platform and I have a radio show every single day. Pro Wrestling Nation, twenty four, seven.”

“A lot of you listened to it. So a lot of you didn't come at me on the X yesterday. But those of you that did. I wrote it down. A few of these things. WWE Shill, WWE Sugar Tits, Absolute trash. You not the show.”

According to Coachman, the anger was rooted in a misunderstanding of his “three takeaways” from the show — and he says few people bothered to ask why those moments mattered to him personally. He then offered deeper context, starting with his emotional connection to longtime fan Sign Guy, a story that he says many critics completely overlooked.

“And it was based off of my three takeaways. But yet I promise you none of you even actually thought why were those Coach’s takeaways from the show to me?”

“Wrestling is about relationships. I said, Sign Guy, many of you don't know what he means to us. Sign Guy, years and years ago his wife passed away. As she was dying, he promised her that he would carry on the love of wrestling that they shared together.”

Coachman continued by explaining why seeing Sign Guy in the front row mattered so much to him. He didn’t mince words about how much that fan represents to people in the industry.

“He came to shows all over the country. All over the country. Refused to take a free ticket. So seeing him in the front row, yeah, that was a positive. But you guys don't know that because you don't think about it.”

“This guy means everything. The last twenty five years, I've never met anybody that loves wrestling more than Sign Guy.”

Coachman also addressed another takeaway involving announcer Tom Hannifan, emphasizing that his praise was rooted in respect rather than agenda. He added that he pointed out the cold open of the show and reminded fans that he directed them to a full breakdown elsewhere.

“Tom Hannifan, I said great to hear his voice back. Because it is. He got bounced by the WWE by no fault of his own. He's a very, very good announcer. And we realize that that was another positive.”

“And then the cold open. And then I put in my post tune in to Off the Ropes for my entire breakdown of the TNA debut. But that wasn't good enough for all of you.”

The frustration, according to Coachman, comes from seeing fans lose perspective on why they love wrestling in the first place. He acknowledged that disagreement is part of the deal, but argued that personal attacks over a short takeaway cross a line.

“I really want a lot of you out there to really reevaluate. I do this because it's my job. I enjoy it. It's fun. I like the creativity, but I feel like for a lot of you out there you have forgotten why you love this business.”

“And just like you have your opinion. I have my opinion too. And we're allowed to bounce that off but to call names over a sixty second takeaway. Man, we've got to reset.”

Coachman then made a point to remind viewers where they can hear more from him, reinforcing that his work exists beyond social media. He admitted the situation struck a nerve because he genuinely cares about wrestling and the people who support him.

“So reset today, I'll see you guys back on the Coach and Bro show. My wrestling show on Off the Rope Sirius XM Channel one hundred and fifty six. My radio show on a real platform. All right. A real platform.”

“I hate I get so fired up with this. But I love it. And for those ninety of you, I appreciate you. I love you. It's why we do this.”

Coachman closed by urging everyone to take a step back and remember that not every disagreement needs to turn into a war.

At the end of the day, Jonathan Coachman didn’t just clap back—he torched the idea that everyone’s opinion has to fit the same mold. Whether fans agree or not, he made it crystal clear: his take was personal, not promotional. And if you came for him without context, don’t expect him to stay silent next time. This wasn’t a meltdown—it was a mic drop.

What’s your take on Coachman’s fiery response? Did he defend himself the right way, or did he just pour more gas on the fire? Sound off in the comments and let us know.