Jim Ross Admits Being Scared Watching Recent AEW Match
The legendary AEW announcer Jim Ross was worried about a wrestler after taking a dangerous move in a match.
At the AEW Full Gear PLE, one of the biggest matches on the show featured Kyle Fletcher beating Will Ospreay in a huge grudge match.
That Fletcher-Ospreay bout was a massive victory for Fletcher since he’s a former friend of Ospreay, who has been a main eventer all around the world while Fletcher is a star on the rise. The match ended with Fletcher giving Ospreay a brainbuster on the top turnbuckle.
Before the brainbuster finish, they did a spot where Fletcher gave Ospreay a Tombstone piledriver from the apron onto the top of the steel steps.
Jim Ross was not on commentary for the Fletcher-Ospreay match at AEW Full Gear, but he was out there for Bobby Lashley beating Swerve Strickland and Jon Moxley retaining the AEW World Title over Orange Cassidy.
On his Grilling JR podcast on Adfreeshows, Jim Ross admitted that the Tombstone spot might have been a bit too much.
“It was scary. I’d rather err on the side of [caution]. I go back to my head of talent relations days. The worst thing that can happen is a main event type player getting injured on a show that would require him, or her, to miss time.
And that only adds to the medical bills on your budget, which is neither here nor there, that’s not the biggest deal, but it takes somebody away from your booking. You can’t use them anymore until they’re healthy…But that scared the s**t out of me boy. It really did. That spot scared the hell out of me.
I thought ‘There’s no way that both these dudes are going to walk away from this okay.’ But they did. I guess that’s the thing about youth, Connie [that] you and I can’t really relate to. These guys are young and resilient.”
Jim Ross’s Criticism Of AEW Match Echoed By Bully Ray
As a WWE Hall of Famer, Jim Ross’ opinion is valued heavily and the same goes for Bully Ray of the famous Dudley Boyz tag team when he was known as Bubba Ray Dudley.
Bully Ray slammed Ospreay and Fletcher for continuing the match after the Tombstone spot, claiming they were only chasing a star rating:
“That match continued after a jumping tombstone piledriver from the apron to the steel steps. Somebody’s gotta put their foot down…It’s so bad. A jumping tombstone piledriver from the apron to the top of the steel steps?! You should be taken out in an ambulance!
I don’t care about match of the year, I don’t care about match of the decade. If two talents…just throw it all away and not care, because all you’re working for is a pop, all you’re doing is chasing the hug, all you’re doing is chasing a star rating, nuh uh. No way…It’s a spot because you’re marks for yourself.”
The final AEW PPV of the year is called World’s End on December 28th.