Hall of Famer claims he was "more aggressive" in WWE
A WWE Hall of Famer recently claimed he was more aggressive in his backstage role during his tenure at WWE.
AEW commentator Jim Ross has worked across many promotions but is primarily remembered for the time spent in WWE as an on-screen commentator. However, he also held a crucial backstage role in the Stamford-based company and talked about it in his podcast.
During the latest episode of Grilling JR, Ross compared the time he served as Executive Vice President of Talent Relations at WWE with that of his predecessor J. J. Dillon, calling himself more aggressive.
@JRsBBQ & @HeyHeyItsConrad discusses JR’s legendary time as head of talent relations for the #wwe
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The WWE Hall of Famer claimed that his approach was more aggressive as he was more active in recruiting new talent and surrounded himself with the right kind of people.
Ross also indicated he was good at assigning the right tasks to the right people.
"I was probably more aggressive," Ross said. "I was a lot more in recruiting and looking at tapes and surrounding myself with guys who could go out and had life goals. If I wanted an amateur guy, if we saw an amateur someplace, like a Brock Lesnar for example, I'd stick Gerry Briscoe on them, because Gerry Briscoe came from that amateur wrestling world of Oklahoma State." [H/T Wrestling Inc]
The veteran also stated that as others saw his inclination to recruit more talent, everyone felt motivated and contributed by bringing more videos. He added it all worked out well, as he did not have any children then and could, therefore, concentrate fully on his job.
"We had a lot of guys chip in, and when guys saw that I was open to signing talent, it motivated them to bring those videos and I would meet with talent, and things of that nature. So I think I was probably a little bit more aggressive. Jan and I didn't have twins to take care of, so it worked out. It was the right place, right time." [H/T Wrestling Inc]
Former WWE commentator Jim Ross responds to a fan asking him to retire
Recently, Ross had a brief Twitter interaction with a fan who asked the 71-year-old to retire.
"Poor JR. Hang ‘em up @JRsBBQ it’s been a phenomenal run," wrote the fan.
Good Ol' JR had a straightforward reply to the fan request by saying:
"Thanks but I’m far from through. I’m still living my dream."
The simple reply shows the level of passion that the veteran has for the pro wrestling business.
This passion for the sport has enabled him to have a successful career and be considered one of the greatest ever.