"And then he runs into Vince [McMahon's] judgement call" - AEW veteran backs up claims about 4-time WWE Champion being difficult to work with
AEW has had its fair share of backstage controversy, but across Vince McMahon's decades running WWE, he had dealt with a ton of issues. Shawn Michaels has often been accused of being especially difficult during the 90s, and now Jim Ross has corroborated the claims.
While JR is mainly delegated to commentary amongst being an analyst and senior advisor in AEW, Ross helmed talent relations in WWE for many years. Because of this, the 71-year-old has insight that many veterans don't have.
During a recent episode of Grillin' JR, the AEW commentator recalled the numerous complaints he received about Shawn Michaels back in the day.
“I got complaints about Shawn from talents all the time, pretty much on a daily basis. But the talents also knew that Shawn had such a connection with Vince, that they could only push that issue so far," Ross said.
SHAWN MICHAELS FLYING ELBOW OFF THE TOP OF THE LADDER ONTO VINCE MCMAHON WRESTLEMANIA 22 (2006) https://t.co/lvwzwdb43s
Ross continued, noting that Michaels had heavy leverage with Vince McMahon, making it impossible for stars to complain effectively.
"Then he runs into Vince’s judgement call, and you’re basically telling Vince 'you’re making a huge mistake,'you don’t know what you’re doing.' I’m surprised that we didn’t have more issues than we did, to be honest with you.” (H/T: InsideTheRopes)
Despite their poor history, Jim Ross claims that the two are in a far better place today, especially after Shawn Michaels turned his life around and became a new man.
Missed out on last week's AEW Dynamite? Catch up with the results before tonight's show right here.
The AEW senior advisor has often been questioned on his involvement with the infamous Montreal Screwjob
For years, the controversial ending to Bret Hart's final WWE match against Shawn Michaels has been a major talking point in the wrestling industry. Jim Ross has often been accused of knowing that Bret would be cheated out of the victory, something which JR still denies.
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In an older episode of the Grillin JR podcast, the AEW veteran claimed he never wants to hear about the infamous segment ever again.
“If we never talk about that [Montreal Screwjob] again ever in my life, I’ll be very content. Having to relive it again and again? Conrad and I, he showed some interviews this time. Me interviewing Vince, and [then he said], ‘Bret screwed Bret.’ Well, what were you thinking when you said that?” (H/T: WrestlingINC)
With all the controversy in All Elite Wrestling over the past few months, fans have wondered if the promotion will eventually have its very own "Montreal Screwjob." Hopefully, for JR's sake, nothing on that scale will ever happen again.