Jim Ross discusses Vince McMahon's health and WWE future
Jim Ross has reiterated that he does not believe Vince McMahon will ever step down from his role as WWE’s Chairman and CEO. However, he has acknowledged that his former boss is “no spring chicken” and his health is the only thing that will stop him from working.
Vince McMahon, 75, is ultimately responsible for the biggest behind-the-scenes decisions that are made in WWE, including match outcomes and storyline developments. Ross, who joined AEW in 2019, worked for Vince McMahon in various different roles for 22 years.
Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross said Vince McMahon works in the same way now as he did when he was 25 years old. The WWE Hall of Famer also made it clear that he does not see Vince McMahon taking a step back from his busy schedule.
"You wonder sometimes how intense he is and how busy he is and the responsibilities he has running a massive publicly traded company, if it’s getting to be too much," Ross said. "I don’t know the answer to that question. I’m a lot more concerned about his health than him being able to run the company, but he will run the company until they bury him."
Ross said Vince McMahon would not be happy if he sold WWE, which is why he can never see it happening. He added that Vince McMahon’s “unrelenting work ethic” is what has made the company and the WWE Chairman so successful. Watch the video above to find out how Vince McMahon delegated some of his important responsibilities to the late Pat Patterson.
Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to SK Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
Vince McMahon’s on-screen WWE role
While Jim Ross does not think Vince McMahon will slow down behind the scenes, the same cannot be said for his on-screen WWE character.
Former SmackDown Executive Director Eric Bischoff revealed in October 2020 that Vince McMahon did not want to appear on SmackDown’s debut episode on FOX. According to Bischoff, Vince McMahon realizes that, due to his age, his strength and credibility as a character is not what it used to be. In the end, Stephanie McMahon convinced her father to appear on television that night.