WWE Hall of Famer says he had almost jumped ship to major promotion
A WWE legend recently talked about almost jumping ship to TNA back in 2009 when he was not on the best of terms with his boss, Vince McMahon.
The Hall of Famer in question is Jim Ross, who is one of the most passionate commentators in pro wrestling history. Ross has called action for many wrestling companies, including WWE, Jim Crockett Promotions, and NJPW. He is now signed to AEW as a senior advisor and a commentator.
Speaking on his "Grilling JR" podcast, JR revealed the conversations he had with Dixie Carter about possibly signing with TNA.
"I was staying in Norman [Oklahoma] and Dixie Carter's family has a beautiful ranch in North Texas," Ross recalled. "They flew to Norman and picked me up. It was a 20-minute flight in a little jet, and I met the whole family down there. I was interested, and I would have taken [the job] but I had to have my terms — and my terms were I need to run it [the promotion]. I used the old Bill Parcells line, 'If you want me to cook dinner, you've got to let me buy some groceries.' So, I wanted to have control over the talent — totally. Because some guys had to go, they were killing the budget."
JR further added:
"So, she didn't pull the trigger," Ross added. "And I've seen Dixie many times since then, we get along fine — I like her. But, if she wanted to change the course of TNA, there was a chance. She didn't have the conviction to step away from a lot of her incumbents because they had built a little power struggle. It was pro wrestling. The con men had taken over, and sometimes she didn't see it." H/T: [WrestlingInc]
Check out the video below:
Jim Ross thinks a previous WWE show wasn't a bad idea
Jim Ross recently talked about a WWE show which ran for 10 years and thinks that the show wasn't a bad idea.
WWE ran a weekly show called Sunday Night Heat from 1998 to 2008, which featured mid-card matches. The show was taped during RAW and broadcast the following Sunday night.
Speaking on his podcast, Jim Ross talked about how the show acted like a preview before the pay-per-views, and it allowed the company to add some extra programming on Sunday night.
"I think it was a team effort, but [using 'Heat' to] preview the pay-per-views was a solid concept," Ross said when asked who came up with the idea for the taped show. "USA [Network] wanted more programming, and when your partner, who is paying all these rights fees, wants more, what do you do? You give them more."
JR further talked about the show meeting USA Network's demand for more content from the company.
"It made a good infomercial for the pay-per-view," Ross continued. "It was the lead-in to the pay-per-view when we had one on Sunday. So [I] didn't think it was a bad idea, and we made our partner happy. That's [awfully] important." [H/T Wrestling Inc ]
What is your favorite moment from JR's WWE run? Let us know in the comments section below.