Former WWE commentator Tom Phillips worked in the company from 2012 up until his release last month. His work was praised by both fans and Superstars alike. Phillips also had his own fair share of moments during his time in the company, including the time he was legitimately slapped by Stephanie McMahon.
This took place on the December 21, 2015, episode of Monday Night RAW, which ended with Dean Ambrose defeating Sheamus in a Steel Cage match. Stephanie McMahon was fully in character and was furious that Dean Ambrose won, so she took it out on Tom Phillips by slapping him a few times.
While speaking on the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch, Phillips was asked if he was ever involved in any physical incidents in the company. Phillips immediately mentioned the time he was legitimately slapped by Stephanie McMahon.
“I never took a conventional bump in the ring but there was one. I think it was before Christmas in 2015, I think it was the Slammys, which was also coinciding with RAW, and Stephanie McMahon just slapped me, for lack of a better term. But yeah, knew about it and everything. It was so much fun.
It seems weird but Corey Graves [Phillips’ fellow commentator] standing right off camera at the time and just staring at me like a big brother being like, ‘Yeah, this is gonna be fun.’ It’s a rite of passage. It was great.
“That was full contact. Stephanie is a wonderful human being. I have had nothing but great interactions with her, but if you ask anybody that’s taken the Stephanie McMahon slap, she means it. And that’s a good thing, because it’s live, it better not look improvised.”
Tom Phillips certainly had a good run during his time in the company and we will have to see what is next in store for the former WWE commentator.