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IMPACT/TNA is one of the few wrestling promotions to give WWE legitimate competition over the last two decades. Todd Grisham, a former WWE announcer, recently revealed why he badmouthed TNA live on the air.
WWE produced a weekly online show called Byte This! between 1997 and 2006. The program revolved around fans calling in to talk to a host about various wrestling topics. Grisham, the show's final presenter before its cancelation, often received questions about the TNA product.
In an interview with Muscle Man Malcolm, Grisham clarified that he had no problem with TNA. He only criticized the promotion because he was sick of fans talking about them:
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"We had this call screen, but 80 percent of the calls were crank calls," Grisham said. "So they kept feeding me these calls. It just so happened that the guy was a TNA fan. It could have been anything. He could have been talking about McDonald's. At a certain point, I was just like, 'Enough is enough! Why are you calling to talk to me about this stupid stuff? You like TNA so much, call someone to talk about TNA!' And I just kinda went on a rant." [5:41 – 6:02]
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A fan once asked how Vince McMahon felt about TNA signing Sting, to which Grisham said the WWE Executive Chairman "doesn't care." In another notable moment, the 47-year-old replied, "That's good" when a fan messaged to say TNA "s*cked."
Former WWE announcer Todd Grisham on today's version of IMPACT/TNA
Since leaving WWE in 2011, Todd Grisham has worked for major companies including DAZN, ESPN, and UFC. TNA, meanwhile, is now known as IMPACT and continues to air every week.
More than a decade on from his Byte This! remarks, Grisham reiterated that he is happy to see the current version of TNA doing well:
"They're still on the air. Matt Striker is there, I believe, and Josh Matthews is one of the producers. So, hey, keep the big wheels turning, as they say. Congratulations to them. I respect anybody in the wrestling business that's still doing their thing." [6:03 – 6:17]
Grisham is best known to wrestling fans for his stint as a SmackDown announcer in 2009 and 2010. He also commentated on ECW and Sunday Night Heat.
Do you have any memories of the Byte This! show? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Muscle Man Malcolm and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
