Jonathan Coachman spent years telling people he wasn’t sitting around waiting for WWE to call. Two years after flat-out saying he didn’t want to go back, The Coach has changed his tune.
While speaking on the Coach and Bro show, Coachman looked back at his 2018 WWE comeback and admitted the company brought back a version of him that simply didn’t work.
Coachman had spent roughly a decade at ESPN before returning to WWE in January 2018. Instead of bringing back the loud, authoritative personality who cut promos and played a heel authority figure during his original run, WWE leaned into his credibility as a legitimate sports broadcaster. Coachman believes that was the wrong move.
“When I was over in WWE, I was never a straight guy. I was a general manager. I was authoritative. I was cutting promos. And I come back from ESPN and I’m like this guy who’s in a suit and tie… It was a mistake.”
Coachman isn’t looking at that failed comeback as a reason to stay away anymore. If the right opportunity comes along, he’s willing to work for WWE again.AEW isn’t off the table either. Coachman even brought Vince Russo into the conversation, making it clear that he would be willing to work alongside his Coach and Bro co-host because he trusts Russo to understand how his wrestling character should be presented.
“I would go to AEW. I would go to WWE. Hell, I would work with Vince because I trust him and I know that if he wrote for a character like myself, we would get over.”
Back in 2024, Coachman told Chris Van Vliet almost the exact opposite. He said the idea that he was waiting for Triple H to call was a misconception and flat-out said, “No, I do not want to go back,” although he remained open to having conversations.
Coachman isn’t begging WWE for another shot, and there’s nothing to suggest one has actually been offered. But after previously saying he didn’t want to go back at all, The Coach is now willing to hear WWE out. Whether he actually comes back is a different story entirely.
What do you make of Jonathan Coachman changing his tune on a WWE return? Would you want to see The Coach back on wrestling television? Let us know in the comments below.
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