Vince McMahon's dislike of AEW star was "absurd," Jim Ross says
Jim Ross worked closely with Vince McMahon during his combined 23 years in WWE between 1993 and 2019. The legendary commentator recently explained why the former WWE Chairman was not a big fan of current AEW star Christian Cage.
Between 1998 and 2001, Christian and Edge were among the most successful tag teams in WWE. While Edge became a main-eventer after their separation, Christian joined TNA Wrestling in 2005 due to creative frustrations.
On his Grilling JR podcast, Ross praised Christian's work and claimed McMahon had an issue with the Canadian's six-foot-one frame:
"I thought it was kinda absurd because Christian deserved more time. He could help us. He could work these guys that were less talented than him and make them look good. I think Vince's issue with Christian was Christian's physique. He's not a big guy. He's always in great shape but he's not a big guy." [28:19 – 28:45]
In 2009, Christian returned to WWE and went on to hold the World Heavyweight Championship twice. The 51-year-old retired from in-ring competition in 2014 due to concussion problems before returning in the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble match. He joined AEW two months later and quickly became one of the company's top stars.
Jim Ross on Vince McMahon's view of Rey Mysterio
According to Jim Ross, Christian is not the only wrestler whose size caused concern for Vince McMahon.
Ross added that McMahon once questioned him about the height of five-foot-six WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio:
"Vince had this love affair with size. He's always had it. When I gotta answer a question [from Vince McMahon], 'I didn't know Rey Mysterio was that small?' Well, yeah, he's always been small. He didn't shrink in a dryer. He's always been small, but he's also one of the best workers in the world, bar none, of any size." [29:01 – 29:22]
Although he is best known as a commentator, Ross also recruited WWE stars in the 1990s and 2000s. In a separate podcast episode, he recalled how McMahon was "astonished" when he realized Chris Jericho was shorter than he imagined.
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Please credit Grilling JR and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.