Jim Ross says WWE Hall of Famer "was a little bit of a bully"
Legendary wrestling commentator Jim Ross recently opened up about his experiences working with Macho Man Randy Savage in WWE.
Savage was one of wrestling's marquee attractions in the 1980s and 1990s. Although the eccentric star proved popular with fans, the man behind the character was known to be overly protective of his on-screen persona at times.
On his Grilling JR podcast, Ross spoke about WWE's lack of interest in rehiring Savage in 2003. The veteran announcer also made it clear he did not always see eye-to-eye with his fellow Hall of Famer:
"We all knew that Randy, he's a star," Ross said. "Great name identity. I didn't get along with him, but that don't mean nothing. Don't mean a thing, other than we had different philosophies and he was a little bit of a bully and unpredictable, and maybe that's what made him a star. If it did, more power to him." [1:21:54 – 1:22:18]
Savage is arguably best remembered for his WWE rivalry with Hulk Hogan. In 1989, The Hulkster defeated his former Mega Powers tag team partner in the WrestleMania 5 main event.
Jim Ross on Randy Savage's business dealings with WWE
Despite having a difficult relationship with Vince McMahon, Randy Savage occasionally conducted business with WWE after leaving the company. In 2003, he even gave an interview to the official SmackDown magazine.
Jim Ross was partly responsible for assembling the WWE roster in the mid-to-late 1990s and 2000s. He believes McMahon has always done the right thing for business even if he dislikes someone:
"That's being a good promoter," Ross said. "You sign guys that you believe are gonna make you money, whether you like them or not, whether you're gonna have Christmas dinner with them or you're gonna exchange gifts or whatever. I'm being facetious, but if they help your company's bottom line, you can forgive and forget a lot of things that happen prior to that." [1:21:22 – 1:21:40]
In 2011, Savage passed away at the age of 58 after suffering a heart attack. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015.
What are your thoughts on Randy Savage? 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.