Jim Ross Names AEW Star As Perfect Head Of Talent Relations
Jim Ross might be best known as the voice of WCW, WWE & AEW, but his corporate role sees him best placed to recognise which AEW star could be the company’s Head of Talent Relations.
Jim Ross was WWE’s Head of Talent Relations for many years, building a roster that included legends of the business such as Steve Austin, The Rock, Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and Randy Orton, among countless others.
Speaking on Busted Open, Jim Ross was asked if there was an AEW star he could see following in his WWE footsteps and become Head of Talent Relations for the company and one name immediately sprang to mind:
Bryan Danielson would do great (as Head of Talent Relations for AEW). He’s levelheaded, he’s cerebral, student of the game. I love the guy and he’s a hell of a worker and he has a good communication skill base. So, he would be a guy that I would certainly consider in that role. You have to have somebody in that role that the talent can go to and see council and sometimes just to listen to them.
Jim Ross Fixed Payoffs For WWE Stars
Jim Ross continued his thoughts by recalling a time when the Dudley Boyz came to him in his role following a payoff that didn’t meet their expectations and thinks you need to have someone in that role:
I remember you (Bully Ray) and I… D-Von (Dudley), when we had that little meeting about your payoff. Was it WrestleMania or SummerSlam? Yeah (it was SummerSlam). You thought it was a little light and I agreed with you, and so we changed it. No big deal. That’s an ego thing. I didn’t have the ego to affect it. I wanted to be fair. You guys deserve more money.
But you gotta remember too, Vince (McMahon) was involved in the payoffs for the pay-per-views and so I go back to him, say, ‘I think these guys are a little disappointed. I think they’re right in their thoughts,’ and he agreed. He agreed. If you go back to the reason and logic, it’s not that challenging. But you gotta have somebody in that role. You gotta have an offensive coordinator to get the plays in and to help the team.
Since AEW’s formation, the company’s Head of Talent Relations has been Christopher Daniels – despite him recently being fired on-screen by The Young Bucks. When CM Punk returned to AEW in the summer of 2023, it was widely reported that Christopher Daniels had been banned from attending Collision at Punk’s behest.