Jim Ross Reveals Gorilla Monsoon Was Not A Fan Of Working With Randy Savage

In the latest episode of his “Grilling JR” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross delved into the circumstances surrounding his return to WWE in mid-1994, just months after being fired from the company at the start of the year.

During this period, WWE founder Vince McMahon was recovering from neck surgery and facing trial for steroid distribution charges, leading to Gorilla Monsoon being tasked with replacing McMahon on commentary duties for WWE TV and pay-per-views.

Monsoon was paired with Randy Savage and former NFL star Art Donovan to call the action at the 1994 King of the Ring pay-per-view, an event that has been widely described as one of the worst-announced shows in WWE history, and Ross discussed how Monsoon and Savage did not work well together.

I felt so bad for Monsoon because Monsoon was not a big fan of Randy Savage, just personality clashes, two strong-willed guys, two of the most famous personalities in all of wrestling ever. And for whatever reason, they just did not blend well together.

Following the disastrous King of the Ring broadcast, Ross shared that Monsoon reached out to him, expressing his dissatisfaction with the performance.

I know Monsoon called me, I think his words to me the next day were ‘Did you see that shit… God was it awful?’ I said ‘I sure did Gino. I don’t want to say it was awful, but it wasn’t up to your standards. I can tell you that.’ Then he said something to Kevin Dunn… and I know Kevin Dunn had a hand in [getting me back].

Ross also noted that the lack of a pre-show walkthrough with the guest commentator, Art Donovan, further compounded the challenges faced by Monsoon and Savage during the broadcast.

It was a horrible show. Poor Art… But I felt bad for poor Monsoon, he didn’t deserve that deal. I remember asking him did you guys do a walkthrough of any sorts and he said ‘Hell no, you know we didn’t’. So it was challenging for those guys. Savage was challenging to work with anyway as he was a perfectionist. And of course Gorilla was Gorilla. He was as staple as anyone could ever be. A standard bearer for pro wrestling announcers.

Ultimately, Ross would replace Monsoon on commentary, taking over the lead play-by-play position until Vince McMahon’s return after being cleared of the steroid charges.

Jim Ross Reflects On WWE’s Missed Opportunity With Former King Of The Ring

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross also recently discussed on his podcast how WWE should have done a better job with Billy Gunn after he won the 1999 King of the Ring tournament.

H/t to ITRwrestling.com