Jim Ross explains why ex-WWE star didn't succeed as a commentator
Jim Ross is widely viewed as one of the greatest wrestling commentators of all time. The AEW announcer recently gave his opinion on why Ernest Miller did not last longer at the commentary booth in WWE.
Miller, also known as The Cat, is best remembered for his WCW run between 1997 and 2001. The 59-year-old performed a variety of roles in WCW, including wrestler and on-screen authority figure. He also appeared in WWE between 2002 and 2004, during which time he commentated on Velocity for eight months.
On his Grilling JR podcast, Ross told host Conrad Thompson that Miller did not have the experience to succeed as a full-time announcer:
"I thought Ernest could bring a lot of value to the equation. But what you've got here, guys are being put into positions, Conrad, that they had never experienced before to any degree. They came in green, they came in inexperienced, and more often than not, what I learned to know over the years is that sometimes to be an effective broadcaster in pro wrestling, it's not what you say sometimes, it's what you don't say. That's really important." [1:06:03 – 1:06:40]
Miller received his release from WWE on February 10, 2004. His final match for the company took place a day earlier at an untelevised live event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He teamed up with Lamont and Orlando Jordan in a losing effort against Akio, Sakoda, and Tajiri.
Jim Ross enjoyed working with Ernest Miller
Many people liked Ernest Miller's fun-loving character and entertaining on-screen performances. However, as Jim Ross referenced, he did not possess the same experience as the likes of himself and color commentator Jerry Lawler.
In hindsight, Ross thinks it was difficult for announcers to match the same level as Lawler during that time:
"I always enjoyed business with him. He's got a lot of charisma, but he got put into a role that he wasn't prepared for at that time. So I think that was the situation. Then he was measured against the other guys that had experience, like Lawler. It's hard to outmaneuver Lawler." [1:06:49 – 1:07:07]
In the same podcast episode, Ross explained why he did not have any interest in rehiring Macho Man Randy Savage in 2001.
Do you have any memories of Ernest Miller in WCW or WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Jim Ross' Grilling JR podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.