"My ego got in my way" - Jim Ross takes responsibility for 'icy' relationship with WWE Hall of Famer
Jim Ross is one of the most respected personalities in the wrestling business, and, astonishingly, he continues to be an active announcer for AEW at the age of 69. Jim Ross has taken up various roles since starting his career in 1974, one of which included being WWE's Head of Talent Relations.
The veteran announcer was the talent head when WWE bought WCW and kickstarted the invasion angle at the beginning of the 2000s.
While WWE managed to get a few WCW talents on board, the company initially failed to get the defunct promotion's most famous on-screen character, Eric Bischoff.
During the latest episode of Grilling JR, Jim Ross revealed that he did have talks with Eric Bischoff about coming to WWE, but the former WCW head booker wasn't too keen on taking up the offer.
Jim Ross also opened up about his 'icy' relationship with Eric Bischoff, which stemmed from their days working at WCW. Jim Ross stated that he was still not on the best of terms with Bischoff when they spoke immediately following WCW's demise.
Jim Ross took responsibility for the heat with Eric Bischoff as the commentator was offended about being taken off air by WCW several years ago. Jim Ross admitted that his ego got in the way of fair judgment, and he held grudges over the incident.
However, the WWE Hall of Famer got over his issues with Eric Bischoff and revealed that they are good friends now.
"So yeah, we chatted but, you know, we had a, I guess you would say, kind of an icy relationship, which I will take responsibility for, you know. If Bruce (Prichard) was here, he would laugh about, 'Well, you're still pissed about your refrigerator and your washer and dryer being held, hostage. But, there were some old open wounds, to be man-to-man and answer your question and to be honest about it."
"I do remember the phone call, and I think that kind of lead to him and I getting back on the same page. My ego got in my way of being taken off the air in WCW when I didn't think it was necessary. I took it personally. I have grown to kind of outgrow that, Conrad, in later years. Eric and I are friends now," Jim Ross stated.
I'm kind of glad we had that experience: Jim Ross on his relationship with Eric Bischoff
Jim Ross felt that Eric Bischoff not joining WWE during the invasion story was the right decision as the former WCW booker went on to have a successful spell in Vince McMahon's company from 2002 to 2007.
Jim Ross stated that Bischoff made more money and was in a better on-screen position than he would have been during the invasion angle.
"So, at the end of the day, that's how I kind of look at it. How did it play out? Well, it played out that Eric finally got a gig there, in a higher-level role. He stayed longer. He made more money, and he was a talent, and I was the head of talent. So, I needed to get along with him, and he needed to get along with me to some degree, if nothing else, just professionally. But since that time, we've become good buddies, and we have a few cocktails here and there, and I'm kind of glad we had that experience," Jim Ross revealed.
The most recent Grilling JR episode focussed on the 2001 Invasion storyline, and the former WWE announcer was at his insightful best while breaking down the infamous phase in WWE history with host Conrad Thompson.
Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.