Jim Ross is one of the best commentators in history with his back and forths with Jerry “The King” Lawler during WWE’s Attitude Era being among the best in history if not the best.
He’s a comforting voice that welcomes us to pull up a chair and watch wrestling whether it was with WCW, WWE, or AEW. But his talents went far beyond commentating as he also helped bring in some of the best talent the industry ever saw.
JR would scout talent and maintain talent relations, basically the buffer between the talent and Vince McMahon. He was Vince’s right hand man for many years as the WWE’s popularity soared and it became the Disney of professional wrestling.
More than a voice
What’s a wrestling company without talent?
In order to be the best you have to recruit the best, and over the years JR brought in recognizable names like Steve Austin, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and Randy Orton.
In Orton’s case, Vince didn’t want to sign him because he’d been dishonorably discharged from the Marines in 1999 after he went AWOL (Absent Without Leave) twice and disobeyed his commanding officer.
Vince is a super patriot, so having someone like Orton on the roster didn’t work for him but JR convinced him otherwise and Orton’s prove to be one of the best.
But there are more than a few stories of Vince verbally abusing JR with tasteless jokes and more.
Why the disrespect?
Vince is well known for playing pranks on those he considers his friends, like pushing them in the pool at his house to pranking and embarrassing them in front of everyone.
But in many ways, his actions toward JR could be viewed as him holding a grudge of some sort.
JR spoke once about how Vince would mock his Bell’s palsy that sometimes paralyzes the muscles in his face.
Other instances that could be viewed as Vince’s “jokes” were turning JR heel in the mid 90s, but that changed when the fans wouldn’t boo him. Vince even booked JR to kiss Michael Cole’s feet and his own backside.
According to JR, he was regularly offered short term contracts in the mid 2000s as Vince brought in other commentators to fill the lead commentator role.
Michael Cole would eventually replace JR in 2010 as he was moved backstage, and subsequently fired on live TV (for real) by John Laurinaitis after he’d recently returned, confusing JR to no end.
JR left WWE for AEW in 2019, and it’s been great seeing him with different talent.
We can’t help but wonder if Vince has a grudge against him for not being a WWE original or if it’s just his way of showing affection for a favorite employee.
In the end, the best way to describe their relationship is it’s complicated.
What do you think about their relationship? Let us know in the comments below.
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