Jim Ross Details Why He Didn’t Like Being The Butt Of The Joke In WWE

AEW announcer Jim Ross is rightly revered as the best wrestling announcer to ever work in the industry but sometimes it seemed that to Vince McMahon, Ross was simply someone to mess with.

Jim Ross debuted for WWE at WrestleMania 9 in 1993 but by the time that year’s SummerSlam rolled around, Vince McMahon had already replaced him at the announce table, signaling that his time in the company wouldn’t last too much longer.

Indeed, in early 1994 – just two weeks after suffering his first bout of Bell’s Palsy, Jim Ross was fired by McMahon, but by no means was the last time that happened.

Ross of course returned to WWE and as his tenure there continued, he was forced into a role of an on-screen character as well as an announcer. This led to scenarios that saw JR embarrassed countless times, including having to pucker up and kiss McMahon’s ass in his home state of Oklahoma.

Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross explained why he didn’t enjoy being the butt of the joke and, as he saw it, it all came down to the WWE Superstars being the focus of the show:

“Many times I’ve been a victim of it. You know, I’ve kissed Vince’s ass in Oklahoma City. I’ve gotten beaten up by a variety of people. I never had a shining moment, to any degree when I was a quote-unquote, participant. My issue with that Conrad, so people can understand this. The glory should go to the talent.

“They were uncomfortable, they saw their TV time reduced. And then some of their TV time was replaced by an announcer. An older, overweight announcer What the hell? What the hell?!

“I didn’t need that role. It took time away from the guys who are making a living doing it. So you know, that’s why I didn’t like doing it. I didn’t think I was very good at it. And I thought it took time away from the active wrestlers who are looking to get a foothold and to make an impression through the creator that they helped influence.”

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