Josh Mathews recently spoke with Wrestle:List. Here are the highlights…
On Getting His Start as an Announcer: “There are quite a few people who helped me on the way,” said Mathews. “When I first started I was in the car with Michael Cole and Taz and learned a tremendous amount from them. I also learnt from Jim Ross and Paul Heyman had a tremendous influence on my career. When Paul Heyman was the lead writer for SmackDown, and SmackDown was produced on Tuesday, postproduction was done on a Wednesday, and the show was put out on Thursday, Paul would be there for the edit of the show.”
On Who He Got To Work With: “We would be there; Michael Cole, Paul [Heyman], Taz and myself would be in the studio until 5 o’clock in the morning and changing the call of the show,” Mathews recalled. “Those guys would be in the booth, and learning from Paul [Heyman] how to do this from a commentary standpoint.”
On Vince McMahon’s Influence: “When you sit down and do the main shows you’re working directly for the man who owns the company [Vince McMahon] and he’s listening to every word you say,” said Mathews. “He also had a tremendous effect on my career and still continues to to this day. I can hear him in my head when I call things, ‘Don’t scream at me’ and ‘Don’t over sell this’ I can hear it. That has molded me in to the play-by-play announcer I am today.”