WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently appeared on Ring Rust Radio and below are some interview highlights:
Ring Rust Radio: I mentioned your new job as the play-by-play man for New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS TV. What went into your decision to jump back into the wrestling business, and why do you feel now was the right time to join another commentary team?
Jim Ross: I never retired from the wrestling play-by-play. I never found a place that was overly comfortable for hanging my hat, so wrote that off and I moved on and found other things. It’s just that the right opportunity that I felt most comfortable with hadn’t come along. In November we started talking to AXS about doing the Friday night New Japan show. I had done Wrestle Kingdom 9, and I have been watching a lot of New Japan Wrestling, I felt like my style would pair up favorably with their in-ring presentation. The travel was very conducive because I have no desire to get back into weekly travel. I tapped on that deal long ago. Going to LA eight or ten times a year, those can be fun trips. The fact we’re doing three shows a day over a couple day period makes the travel very friendly. I like the fact that Adam Swift and AXS TV are very committed to building this brand much bigger than it is now on their network.
Ring Rust Radio: I appreciate when you give your honest opinion of WWE’s product on the Ross Report and in your blog on JRsBarBQ.com. Do you think fans are justified when they critique WWE as they do or should they be more forgive before judging or criticizing the product?
Jim Ross: I think they should be encouraged to vent all they want. It’s a different day and a different time. You can’t judge the things that are happening in today’s world of pro wrestling by yesterday’s rules. With social media and the information flow, fans have more information on what really goes on than they ever had at any time in the history of the business. It doesn’t bother me. Sometimes it’s frustrating because people pick the strangest hills to die upon. They get on a point and they belabor the same points over and over and over again. We never know with the social media mystique how old these people are saying these things. It could be a 10- or 12-year-old kid talking, but we never know. I always tell people don’t get your drawers in a wad over pro wrestling creative. Don’t get your blood pressure up and ruin your day or affect your life because you are not happy with pro wrestling creative. There are many more things to be concerned about than a finish in a pro wrestling match. Enjoy it, embrace it. I don’t have a problem with people critiquing things. If you are an entertainer and in the public eye, then you should have thick skin. I was told a while ago that I had no entertainment value and I was boring. I don’t have any idea who told me that, but I didn’t even block them. They have their right to their opinion and if they want to share with me that I am boring than have it.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
