Wrestling personality Jerry Lawler knows it's good to be the king, but these days, it's even better to be The Coach.

After a successful stint with World Wrestling Entertainment, Jonathan Coachman is a regular anchor on ESPNEWS and also introduces updates on ESPN2's simulcast of the Mike and Mike in the Morning radio show.

Known as The Coach, he had a smooth transition from being smacked around by WWE star John Cena to laying down his own smack, writing a 30-minute highlight sports' script for ESPN.

I had an opportunity to speak with The Coach, and he is a very smart person who understands marketing. He grew from a kid, so to speak, in WWE into a man now working with ESPN.

The Coach noted WWE owner Vince McMahon is very tough and demanding, and that actually helped him greatly deal with anything other companies throw at him. The Coach decided to leave WWE in 2008 when his contract expired.

The travel schedule in WWE is a grind, working four to five days a week on the road, like a traveling salesman who is athletic and can act.

It's a new city each day; The Coach has a family. So the timing was perfect. His WWE contract expired, and ESPN sought a new hire. So The Coach parted ways with WWE.

The Coach and WWE left on good terms. He can now spend more time with his family.

The Coach said there was some concern by ESPN as to how a guy from pro wrestling/sports entertainment would be perceived on its telecasts, but it worked very well. ESPN personalities, higher-ups and most importantly viewers liked The Coach.

This was not the first time The Coach worked successfully in sports broadcasting.

In 2001, The Coach was sideline reporter for the XFL professional football league, a new real venture between NBC and WWE. He worked on the second-team broadcast team with Matt Vasgersian, Jim Ross, Dick Butkus and Jerry The King Lawler.

A busy man, while also working for WWE, The Coach called various sports events on College Sports Television, a cable and satellite network owned by CBS. He also called college basketball for CN8.

There's more. Coachman was the studio host for New York Knicks games and served as part-time play-by-play announcer for the WNBA's New York Liberty on the MSG Network. He also hosted the weekly MSG program MSG, NY.

The Coach enjoyed calling games but noted the travel. Working for ESPN in Bristol, he is close to home and can see his family everyday.

Growing up, Coachman, a highly scouted basketball prospect, helped McPherson High School in McPherson, Kansas win two state titles. He competed nearby for McPherson College where he also participated in theater, was sports editor for the college newspaper and did play-by-play and color commentary for local basketball and football radio broadcasts.

The Coach began his WWE career in 1999 as an interviewer, commentator and presenter.

Born in Kansas City, The Coach worked for Kansas City news station KMBC-TV, where he was a correspondent for Larry King Live's coverage of the death of WWE standout Owen Hart in May 1999.

A longtime wrestling fan, The Coach was basically the only news reporter at the Kemper Arena for the WWE pay-per-view event Over The Top when an equipment malfunction occurred during Hart's entrance from the rafters.

His news gathering skills and professionalism from that awful tragedy is cited for The Coach landing a job in WWE. The Coach said it was actually work he did with KMBC-TV and Shawn Michaels to promote WWE events that caught the eye of WWE.