"That was a good hire by Tony Khan" - Jim Ross gives his verdict on 43-year-old AEW personality
Jim Ross has shared his thoughts on a fellow AEW employee. He also spoke about the 43-year-old's contributions to the company.
Excalibur is a retired professional wrestler who made a name for himself as part of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. After competing in many promotions, he finally hung up his wrestling boots and joined AEW as a color commentator. He has been part of the Tony Khan-led promotion since the beginning and has called many iconic matches.
The veteran was named Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Best Television Announcer in 2020, 2021, and 2023. Excalibur's fellow commentator, Jim Ross, recently lavished praise on him. On an episode of his Grilling JR podcast, Ross said:
"He has great product knowledge. He's helped me a lot with recognizing Lucha Libre things, or New Japan — all Japanese [things] in general. He's been a great friend and a great asset for me."
The WWE Hall of Famer further explained what made the masked commentator a "good hire" for AEW.
"He's just a good guy man. A good guy, he's smart, he's fair, and he's willing to share his knowledge. That's the one thing about being a broadcaster is that you've got to be willing to share and you've got to be a good listener so everybody (...) all the dots can be connected when need be, which is most of the time. So Excalibur was a great get, that was a good hire by Tony Khan." [H/T: WrestlingInc.]
Jim Ross recalled his first meeting with Tony Khan
Jim Ross played a crucial role in WWE's success during the Attitude Era alongside Jerry 'The King' Lawler. Hence, it came as a bit of a surprise when Ross showed up in AEW in 2019. Since then, he has called several major matches for the company.
On his Grilling JR podcast, Ross recalled the initial meetings he had with Tony Khan.
"Tony Khan was real. He had answers, he had education, [and] it was great. So, I'm thinking, 'Well, I don't know where this is gonna go, but I can see myself working with this dude,'" he said. [From 6:03 to 6:15]
It remains to be seen when Jim Ross will make his next appearance on AEW television.