Vince McMahon was "astonished" by AEW star's height, Jim Ross says
Vince McMahon oversaw WWE's hirings and firings during his 40 years as the company's creative figurehead between 1982 and 2022. Jim Ross, a long-time member of McMahon's management team, recently recalled how the former WWE Chairman reacted when he hired Chris Jericho.
In 1999, Jericho joined WWE after three years in WCW. Ross thought the popular star would bring much-needed experience to the roster alongside another new recruit, Paul Wight, aka The Big Show.
On his Grilling JR podcast, the legendary commentator praised Jericho's entertaining character and in-ring ability. He also mentioned how McMahon had reservations about the current AEW wrestler's height:
"I thought it was a great get for us," Ross said. "Chris was experienced. He was a veteran. He understood all the little nuances of becoming and maintaining stardom in a professional wrestling environment. One of my best signees, without question. I just remember Vince was astonished how short Vince perceived Jericho to be." [11:27 – 11:52]
Jericho has been billed at six feet at times throughout his wrestling career. However, his real height is believed to be around five foot ten.
Jim Ross on Chris Jericho's impact working for Vince McMahon
It did not take long for Chris Jericho to prove his worth to Vince McMahon. Two years after debuting, he beat The Rock and Steve Austin in separate matches at Vengeance 2001 to become the Undisputed WWE Champion.
Jim Ross only has positive things to say about Jericho's performances and believes he is still a great wrestler at 53 years old:
"He was just a great get for us and he stayed a great get for a long time. He was very productive, made the company a lot of money, just like he's doing now with AEW, and he's still wrestling a lot. I like that aspect of his game. He never turned down an assignment. He'd wrestle with anybody," said Ross. [11:55 – 12:17]
In the same podcast episode, Ross reacted to a WWE Hall of Famer surprisingly reconciling with the company after a 15-year absence.
What do you make of how Vince McMahon booked Chris Jericho in WWE? Hit the Discuss button and let us know.
Please credit Grilling JR and embed the YouTube video with an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.