Jim Ross says former WWE Champion almost attacked him in real life before commentator intervened
Jim Ross was one of WWE's most popular commentators during his combined 23 years with the company between 1993 and 2019. The WWE Hall of Famer recently recalled how another announcer, Gorilla Monsoon, once stepped in to prevent Macho Man Randy Savage from attacking him.
Savage cemented his status as a WWE all-time great in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The former WWE Champion worked alongside Ross as a commentator in 1993 and 1994 before resuming his in-ring career with WCW.
On his Grilling JR podcast, Ross made it clear he did not always get along with Savage behind the scenes.
"He was a legitimate superstar but he could also be a pr*ck. I hate to say that about the dead but he was not a real good guy at times, and he cornered me at the TV studio because of something I allegedly said on an interview, on a generic interview," he said. [48:27 – 48:46]
Ross added that Monsoon arrived at the perfect time to stop Savage from getting physical.
"He cornered me at the TV studio, reading me the Riot Act, and all of a sudden it's like this big shadow overcame both of us, and it was Gorilla, so the confrontation, if you want to use that term, came to an end at that moment," he added. [48:58 – 49:17]
The 72-year-old said on a previous podcast episode that Savage's behavior was "unpredictable" and he could be "a little bit of a bully."
Jim Ross predicts what Randy Savage would have done to him
Gorilla Monsoon was WWE's lead play-by-play announcer in the early days of WrestleMania in the 1980s. Before that, he was one of the world's most imposing wrestlers due to his six-foot-seven height and 400-plus-pound frame.
Jim Ross believes Randy Savage would likely have knocked him out had Monsoon not intervened in the confrontation.
"Because of Monsoon's size, he was unintimidatable and he could handle himself. He was a great amateur wrestler at Ithaca College. Like I said, he bailed me out in that particular moment because I'm sure Savage was gonna take a shot at me and knock me out or bust me up or what have you because that's where it was leading to," said Jim Ross. [49:17 – 49:43]
Gorilla Monsoon and Macho Man Randy Savage passed away in 1999 and 2011, respectively.
What are your thoughts on Randy Savage? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
If you use Jim Ross' quotes from this article, please credit Grilling JR and embed the video, giving an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.