Jim Ross Interview: Missing WWE and possible commentary role for NJPW
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross expressed the fact that he misses WWE and would like to be a part of New Japan Pro Wrestling commentary team. He said:
“I’m very interested in doing special projects and that certainly would be on that list of a special project. And I think if they were serious about their marketing of their pay-per-views — and I guess their big show is January 4th — that if they were really serious about that event being a hit in the English-speaking countries, that I might be able to help them. I think their style is right down my alley. They’re physical, they’re intense, their wrestling is logical and I am a fan of it. But I wouldn’t want to do it in a TV studio somewhere and doing it as a voiceover. If I did it, I’d want to be in Tokyo.”
“I do miss the wrestling business because I was there for 40 years. I miss aspects of it. I miss the locker room atmosphere. I miss being on the day of the big event, the adrenaline rush that you get that you can’t replicate anywhere else. But, do I miss a 51-week-a-year job on the road, travel, international, domestic and all that? Not a bit. I don’t know if that is a good answer, but that is the best answer I can give you. That is a true answer. My legacy there is what it is. That is up to the eye of the beholder, like anything else. I’m proud of what I did. I’m proud that I had the same job and the same career for 40 years. That is kind of unheard of in today’s world: a 40-year run. I’m very proud of where I’ve been.
“Whatever worked out at WWE worked out for the best reason. I refuse to look at it as a bad experience because I can’t go back in time and correct it. The one thing I can correct is today and I know that I lost so many friends at a such a young age over the years that tomorrows are not guaranteed. So that is kind of my philosophy, man. I live for today, enjoy it, treat people fairly and try to do things I enjoy doing and hope I get to do it tomorrow. As I’ve been told, I just want to wake up on the right side of the dirt every day.”