Why AEW’s Jim Ross Reached Out To Drew McIntyre
Jim Ross is not a part of WWE anymore, but he still feels a special connection to wrestlers like Drew McIntyre.
Drew McIntyre is a former three-time WWE World Champion who is one of the biggest stars in the pro wrestling business today. As one of the biggest heels in WWE, McIntyre is expected to have a major role in WWE going forward.
During a recent interview on Busted Open, Drew McIntyre ranted about his thoughts on the wrestling business. McIntyre was so furious that he walked out of the interview and it left people wondering if what he said was what he truly felt or if he was playing a character.
“Tomorrow morning I’m still gonna be out there helping the homeless, things that really mean something to me.
But when it comes to Drew McIntyre on TV, Drew McIntyre in general, I really hate to say this ‘cause I didn’t believe it [until] I saw the proof right in front of my face, the lack of contact, and the look in my family’s face, and realizing everything that I’ve missed, that I’m just gonna take from now on.
I’m gonna leave this industry, I won’t be one of those guys, when I was a kid in the locker room during the indies that were just chasing that last paycheck, just chasing that last shot at glory. “Please remember me.”
When I leave, when I retire, I’ll have accomplished everything. And it doesn’t matter if you’re Mark Henry, Bully Ray, Tommy Dreamer, Drew McIntyre, Stone Cold Steve Austin. When you’re gone, they move on, they forget. And it sucks, but it’s true.
So as far as I’m concerned, when it comes to the internet, I don’t give a f**k about your opinion.”
Jim Ross Is Proud Of Drew McIntyre’s Success
A lot of people who follow the pro wrestling business likely saw those comments from McIntyre and that includes people in the business like WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross. While Ross has worked for AEW for the past five years, he still has a lot of close connections to WWE people since he worked there for over 20 years.
On a recent episode of Ross’ Grilling JR podcast, co-host Conrad Thompson brought up McIntyre’s comments and that led to JR revealing that he reached out to McIntyre.
“That was heavy, wasn’t it? I sent him a tweet, and I’ve known him since he got started. I’ve commiserated with him on many occasions. He had some marriage issues back in the day and so forth. I sent him a tweet that I’m always here for you. A lot of the guys that I signed, a lot of the guys that I work with, I feel that way.
It’s not an AEW/WWE relationship. It’s JR being friends with some talents, and he always valued my opinion. I just wanted to let him know that there’s somebody out that didn’t have a dog in the hunt. If you just want to shoot the breeze, talk, I’m available. Because maybe I could help him. Maybe I could help him become more positive and less angry.
I have a lot of respect for Drew, and I’m proud of his success. WWE’s got a good one with him.”
The marriage issues Jim Ross mentioned were from early in Drew McIntyre’s run when he was married to Tiffany, who was better known as TNA’s Taryn Terrell later in her career. They divorced in May 2011. McIntyre has since remarried.