Jimmy Smith has offered more insight on WWE’s current position with Sasha Banks and Naomi.
On a recent episode of Unlocking the Cage, RAW commentator Jimmy Smith broke down the WWE walkout of Sasha Banks and Naomi and why he believes WWE has gone out of its way to control the narrative regarding this situation.
“The rumor I have heard is that in the days of social media, the performers themselves can spin their own narrative.” Jimmy Smith said. “Nowadays, if the Ultimate Warrior got cut, and people know the story at SummerSlam that he ran to the back and was immediately fired by Vince McMahon because he made all his demands, but, Ultimate Warrior would have picked up his phone and recorded something on Instagram and said ‘F’ Vince McMahon, whatever.
“The superstars themselves are able to get their own story out and get their own narrative out in the public in ways they couldn’t 20, 10, or 15 years ago. So what it feels like the WWE is doing, and I don’t know, they haven’t discussed it with me, is they’re getting ahead of the ability of Sasha Banks and Naomi to put out their own narrative. If you don’t say why, they’ll say why. The WWE wants their perspective out there. They’re going to go out and say something, so WWE wanted to get ahead of it and did it first. That’s what it seems like to me.”
Corey Graves, in particular, has taken a lot of heat on social media from the WWE Universe for calling Sasha Banks and Naomi “unprofessional” on commentary. This is something Smith doesn’t understand and revealed that Graves actually toned down the verbiage given to him to say on television.
“What I don’t get at all is the heat that my broadcast partner, Corey Graves, is getting,” Jimmy Smith continued. “They gave him something to read and much like Michael Cole, he toned it down a little bit. But guys, Michael Cole and Corey Graves aren’t making this stuff up. People are getting mad at them like they’re freestyling this stuff. They’re not. If Vince said, ‘Here, read this,’ I would have done exactly what Michael Cole did. Corey Graves is getting all this shit. Corey Graves didn’t make up that statement. He’s a broadcaster and was told to read it and he read it. So I understand the ire of the fans, but the misdirection of that ire is weird.” [H/T: WrestlingNews.Co]
What do you make of Jimmy Smith’s comments? Do you think it was wise of WWE to try and get out ahead of the Sasha Banks and Naomi walkout by attempting to control the narrative on social media? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
