''I don’t agree with that at all''- Jim Ross on the backstage belief that two WWE Legends were pushed for being close to Vince McMahon
Jim Ross discussed the belief that Triple H and Shawn Michaels got pushed in WWE solely because they had become close to Vince McMahon.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels have had tremendous singles runs in their careers. Additionally, they are one of the most iconic WWE tag teams of all time, as a part of the Degeneration X faction. The two dominated during the late 90s and then reformed the team again in the mid-2000s.
On the Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross said that the locker room did not like their closeness with Vince McMahon. They believed that DX got their way because they were special to McMahon and were upset at the preferential treatment. He admitted the two were in McMahon's ear, but other factors led them to have angles play out as they wanted:
''The talents were p*ssed off at Hunter and Shawn for being close with Vince, and consequentially, believing that their relationship is the only thing that got their stories told. Of course, I don’t agree with that at all. But they were deeply involved in the booking of their angle,'' said Ross. [H/t:411Mania]
Jim Ross on the evolution of DX
Hall of Famer Jim Ross also discussed the evolution of Degeneration X in WWE. He stated that both The Game and Heartbreak Kid had a major role to play in the stable.
Ross also said that he used to encourage talents like Triple H and Shawn Michaels to take time out to get more involved in their storylines:
''I would tell talent, ‘You know you have the same opportunity yourself to get involved in your storylines or to pitch a story or outline an angle," he added. "There’s no reason you can’t do the same thing. But if you don’t put out the effort to get time with Vince or pitch your ideas, it’s never gonna happen.’ That always aggravated me.''
Shawn Michaels and Triple H have won the tag team championships as DX twice. The two have been best friends in real life for a long time as well. Jim Ross has called many of the historic moments of their careers.