I like the feller doing this interview & hope he does more. He ask a question & listens to the answer without cutting in, like we see allot of these inconsiderate interviewers do. I think he did a class job on this.
I don't think I've ever seen a video on RUclips with over 10,000 views and zero dislikes. That speaks for something. Business has picked up here, long live J.R!
Only JR could say some of the things he has said and keep a serious demeanor. He has always had a way of giving a wrestling match some sort of a legitimacy. He always make it seem so serious and so important.
Yes, I totally understand what you mean, and I agree he is a great performer. All I meant was that the WWF/WWE made him a huge star because of the persona he held. But you're absolutely right.
JR = greatest announcer in the business. No question His abilities to get you involved in what he's calling just goes to prove that expert commentary is the greek chorus of wrestling.
Wow, the conversation about Leroy Mcguirk(spelling?) is amazing. To have had lost one eye and go on to win multiple world titles. Then have a car accident in his prime and lose his 2nd eye!!! And to continue to be so involved in the business including doing commentary!!! That is truly amazing as being a commentator is so difficult in the first place, but with no sight?!! Just wow, def the most informative facts I got from this interview. Which is very well done and all the questions were great!
I like JR, but my favourite announcer was Gorilla Monsoon. I loved the way he painted the picture in the ring and the phrases he came up with. He was the announcer at early Wrestlemanias and I think "The unstoppable force meets the immovable object" is still the best description for a match ever. And him and Bobby Heenan were absolutely hilarious.
JR, Bobby, Gorilla, Jesse the Body (especially for his ability to be absolutely ridiculous in terms of bias for heels)....all good. All different, but good. Early Vince was good, too, playing the straight man on the gimmicks and doing interviews and commentating with total seriousness. I remember my dad pointing to jr. way back in the early 80s saying "that guy's really the owner", just standing there holding a mic interviewing guys coming to the ring. I was probably 8, "no way, dad. that guy's just a "tv guys' who holds the mic!".
i have to admit J.R is one of the many reasons i started watching raw alot and austin sealed the deal for me you couldnt ask for a better time in pro wrestling back in the attittude era
The Brain & Gorilla 1986-1993 Best Commentators The King & JR 1996-2008 Equally Great Commentators These two teams are legendary. No one can top there performances as broadcasters
Listen how Jim Ross made it in the wrestling business and u have a better understanding if what the old timers went thru to make it!!! This is an education of people wanting to learn and understanding!!!
southern accent, BBQ references, intence announcing, professionalism, cowboy hat, glasses, funny catch fraises, and Oklahoma's theme song make up the greatest wrestling announcer of ALL time! Bar f'ing none!!!
Ventura and McMahon are very underrated. Vince was every bit as good as JR or Solie as a play by play man. Ventura was the perfect color commentator. One thing I always liked about Ventura was he treated the wrestling as real. He would talk about how hard the competitors were training. He would state bogus vegas lines on the match ups and talk about different strategies a wrestler should use to win. It's easier to suspend disbelief when the commentators treat the match as legit fight contests.
"its carnage".. "it looks like a car wreck"... i was watching Deadly Games 98 main event on ondemand last night analyzing Ross he was amazing behind the table.
@Eduardo10390 lol i thought by "The Beginning" you meant back in like '84, i agree with ur clarified point except for the idea that ppl who watched WWF DIDNT watch WCW, I was probably one of the only people who was excited to see a "WCW match" on WWF TV, although I think the choice of Buff v. Booker wasn't the best idea they couldve had for debuting their purchased product
The problem with the Invasion angle to me was that it seemed like, for the most part, it was midcard wrestlers having to uphold one side of a feud while main eventers upheld the other. All because Vince didn't want to buy out the big Time Warner contracts of the top end WCW talent, therefore the clash between WWF, ECW and WCW felt WWF-centric when it should've been split more evenly between the two sides.
I love it when people who don't know shit come on here and then have someone who knows facts state them back to them and just get put in their place. Right on brother.
You do realize that Jim Ross served as head of Talent Relations and is the reason guys like Stone Cold, The Rock and a lot of the huge stars of the attitude era even got signed, right? Without JR and his eye for talent, the WWE might not have even had the star power needed to stay afloat back in those days, and they could be either DEAD or in a lot worse shape than they are now. The wrestlers are only part of what makes the business successful. People behind the scenes deserve respect too.
@Denji2006 There is a fine line between the peak and the lowest. WWF was at an all-time low in the early 90's and they turned it around pretty damn fast from 96-2002 or 2003. The WWE has again reached a low point here in the 2009-2010 area but it can just as easily turn it around as the past has shown.
why is there so much comparing of JR and Gorilla Monsoon. They were both incredible at what they did and both have contributed to making some of the greatest moments in WWF/E history.
J. R. ranks up there with greats like Gordon Solie and Gorilla Monsoon. Jim Ross defined the Attitude era of WWF/E. It was a damn shame that we have to listen to the likes of Michael Cole now on RAW. Bring back J.R.!
That's true, I'll agree to that. But Heenan did very well in WCW. When they replaced Heenan with Scott Hudson, there was a noticeable decline in quality. Just a shame what happened there.
@McMahonHater I agree I should of proof read before I posted I meant to say ''hes a little full of it thinking goldberg, Nash, Flair etc not being there ISN'T the reason the invasion angle failed.''
@Nordfelt yea they are talking about wwe buying wcw and then for some reason they put up footage of abyss from tna. who had nothing to do with wwe or wcw. surely it should have been footage from wcw
As good as J.R. is Gordon Solie is IMO the BEST. There's room for only one dean of wrestling & Gordon Solie earned the moniker & boy did it ever fit to a tee. Listening to him & Jim Ross together in the WCW days was epic, but Gordon's still the BEST.
@Kingdjack3000 If you recall he wasnt injured when they first started the angle, at KOTR 2001 it was Austin vs. Jericho vs. Benoit with storyline going into match if Jericho & Benoit would defect to WCW & bring the WWF Title with them.
dude he is the head of talent relation before john laurinaitis which means he's the one who recruit talents from indy wrestling and molded them into star.. ask jbl who's help sign and help him in wwe and he will give Jim Ross name.. and yes back then wwe has great management team like jim cornette,but guess what he even respect jim ross work backstage even paul heyman admire jim ross work backstage..remember one thing dude jim ross isn't just a great announcer he also a great management..
JR is hands down the best play by play comentator of all time, i think he surpasses Gordon Sollie. JR and Bobby Hennan would be the dream combo. Lawler is good, but second only to the Brain.
My honest opinion I wish jr was vp of talent relations again he produced so much talent where as Johnny Ace produces football players, bodybuilders, and lingerie models..
@Cap: Agreed. Allow me to fill in the rest. King, JR's best partner. Finkel, best ring announcer. UT, best WRESTLER, CHARACTER, etc of all time. ALL BAR NONE!
@tottiballbag10 they didn't do it by accident, the TNA shots are referring to what JR said. they're doing it to show how these huge stars like Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner etc. haven't looked after their money properly and now they're having to still wrestle at their age because of it.
I really liked the invasion angle when it happened, but in retrospect it was a failure. I think having all of the top WCW names would have been a plus.
To a true wrestling purest - Jim Ross's name can be spelled out in five letters - C-L-A-S-S. The sport owes him more - concerning it's longevity - then many will ever know.
I cant believe good ol' JR try's to say most of the territories "self destructed" even though vince bought any big stars from the territories then promoted WWF shows featuring the wrestlers he's acquired from the company in the same town's the territorie had been promoting in.
@davidogrady3 ahhhh i wandered about that, cheers m8. i was just thinking "i bet jr hasnt even watched tna before" lol. that makes alot more sense now.
I disagree with Jim to a certain extent about the invasion. I mean, he's right in saying that certain guys just weren't going to pass up earning millions for literally taking a 2-year vacation, especially if you're a mark like Goldberg who doesn't realize that the incentives would be worth the investment. BUT for Jim to say that angle was screwed no matter who they brought in is simply bananas... unless he was just implying that McMahon's ego would have fucked it up regardless, which may be true
to me the WCW and ECW invasion storyline could have lasted for a long time.. at least until NWO or Goldberg or even when Eric came to WWE.. i mean with all that content being purchased by WWE why not continue the storyline? I say it was the most underused storyline ever... with Booker T alone the storyline could have lasted..
Great interview. WCW invasion was very successful, if you define success as "Making WCW look like a grossly inferior product to the WWF, thus throwing away potential truckloads of money". Also making it a whole McMahon soap opera really blew as well. Ah well 20/20 hindsight and all....still wish ROss would come out and replace Cole or Grisham.
I hate it when the heels mess with j.r or put their hands on him like when Kane burnt him or Eric bischoff off kicked a cinder block on his head etc.. What I'm trying to say is, is that I will instantly get mad if they mess with my favorite announcer And although I enjoyed monsoons commentary but Jim Ross is the greatest announcer of all time
![SahBabii - Viking [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/D37cL92JX0I/mqdefault.jpg)
Cool background! Love the red and the shadows... well done!
Cool background! Love the red and the shadows! Well done.
jim ross is one of the greatest. love the guy.
I like the feller doing this interview & hope he does more. He ask a question & listens to the answer without cutting in, like we see allot of these inconsiderate interviewers do. I think he did a class job on this.
nice interview, he speaks alot of truth
It's always nice to see something like an interview from an unique personality in Pro Wrestling or Sports Entertainment.
I don't think I've ever seen a video on RUclips with over 10,000 views and zero dislikes. That speaks for something. Business has picked up here, long live J.R!
love his honesty and hes a true definition of a legend
I wish there were more interviews like this about the business of pro wrestling.
I loved their commentary of Royal Rumble 1992, especially when Flair came out at number 3. Brilliant!
Only JR could say some of the things he has said and keep a serious demeanor. He has always had a way of giving a wrestling match some sort of a legitimacy. He always make it seem so serious and so important.
Yes, I totally understand what you mean, and I agree he is a great performer. All I meant was that the WWF/WWE made him a huge star because of the persona he held. But you're absolutely right.
JR = greatest announcer in the business. No question
His abilities to get you involved in what he's calling just goes to prove that expert commentary is the greek chorus of wrestling.
Wow, the conversation about Leroy Mcguirk(spelling?) is amazing. To have had lost one eye and go on to win multiple world titles. Then have a car accident in his prime and lose his 2nd eye!!! And to continue to be so involved in the business including doing commentary!!! That is truly amazing as being a commentator is so difficult in the first place, but with no sight?!! Just wow, def the most informative facts I got from this interview. Which is very well done and all the questions were great!
I like JR, but my favourite announcer was Gorilla Monsoon. I loved the way he painted the picture in the ring and the phrases he came up with. He was the announcer at early Wrestlemanias and I think "The unstoppable force meets the immovable object" is still the best description for a match ever. And him and Bobby Heenan were absolutely hilarious.
JR, Bobby, Gorilla, Jesse the Body (especially for his ability to be absolutely ridiculous in terms of bias for heels)....all good. All different, but good.
Early Vince was good, too, playing the straight man on the gimmicks and doing interviews and commentating with total seriousness. I remember my dad pointing to jr. way back in the early 80s saying "that guy's really the owner", just standing there holding a mic interviewing guys coming to the ring. I was probably 8, "no way, dad. that guy's just a "tv guys' who holds the mic!".
I wish I could have been around in the days of the territories, I'm sure that was the greatest time to be a pro wrestling fan.
I agree. Late 90's/early 2K was THE HOTTEST time in WWF. That was it's peak.
i have to admit J.R is one of the many reasons i started watching raw alot and austin sealed the deal for me you couldnt ask for a better time in pro wrestling back in the attittude era
Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler were the best announce team ever...no questions asked.
JR AND KING, JR AND CORNETTE, JR AND HEYMAN, the best times WWE had with commentators.
in all honesty jim ross is the only person in the world that could talk me into signing with wwe if ever given the opprotunity
The Brain & Gorilla 1986-1993 Best Commentators
The King & JR 1996-2008 Equally Great Commentators
These two teams are legendary. No one can top there performances as broadcasters
i just listen to this in the background, jr has the best voice
Listen how Jim Ross made it in the wrestling business and u have a better understanding if what the old timers went thru to make it!!! This is an education of people wanting to learn and understanding!!!
southern accent, BBQ references, intence announcing, professionalism, cowboy hat, glasses, funny catch fraises, and Oklahoma's theme song make up the greatest wrestling announcer of ALL time! Bar f'ing none!!!
Ventura and McMahon are very underrated. Vince was every bit as good as JR or Solie as a play by play man.
Ventura was the perfect color commentator. One thing I always liked about Ventura was he treated the wrestling as real. He would talk about how hard the competitors were training. He would state bogus vegas lines on the match ups and talk about different strategies a wrestler should use to win.
It's easier to suspend disbelief when the commentators treat the match as legit fight contests.
I still wish we had territories! Those were the days!
good ol' JR..i miss hearing that voice on WWE tv
"its carnage".. "it looks like a car wreck"... i was watching Deadly Games 98 main event on ondemand last night analyzing Ross he was amazing behind the table.
Jim Ross my fav announcer
good point
J.R is awesome :)
JR is a hall of fame legend and then some.
@Eduardo10390 lol i thought by "The Beginning" you meant back in like '84, i agree with ur clarified point except for the idea that ppl who watched WWF DIDNT watch WCW, I was probably one of the only people who was excited to see a "WCW match" on WWF TV, although I think the choice of Buff v. Booker wasn't the best idea they couldve had for debuting their purchased product
The problem with the Invasion angle to me was that it seemed like, for the most part, it was midcard wrestlers having to uphold one side of a feud while main eventers upheld the other. All because Vince didn't want to buy out the big Time Warner contracts of the top end WCW talent, therefore the clash between WWF, ECW and WCW felt WWF-centric when it should've been split more evenly between the two sides.
Can we share this on my page too? Official Jim Ross Page
Jim Ross' grumpy face juxtaposed with the rock music at 5:55 made me laugh hard
where's part 2?
i miss jim ross great man
the best damn ring announcer period
Of course. Ventura surely is up there.
man i love hank hill
I love it when people who don't know shit come on here and then have someone who knows facts state them back to them and just get put in their place. Right on brother.
You do realize that Jim Ross served as head of Talent Relations and is the reason guys like Stone Cold, The Rock and a lot of the huge stars of the attitude era even got signed, right? Without JR and his eye for talent, the WWE might not have even had the star power needed to stay afloat back in those days, and they could be either DEAD or in a lot worse shape than they are now. The wrestlers are only part of what makes the business successful. People behind the scenes deserve respect too.
@Denji2006
There is a fine line between the peak and the lowest. WWF was at an all-time low in the early 90's and they turned it around pretty damn fast from 96-2002 or 2003.
The WWE has again reached a low point here in the 2009-2010 area but it can just as easily turn it around as the past has shown.
He's been around a long time. They don't treat him as well as they should at WWE. But he does make good money with them.
JR seems like a kind of guy i would want to sit down have a beer and watch the football game.
why is there so much comparing of JR and Gorilla Monsoon. They were both incredible at what they did and both have contributed to making some of the greatest moments in WWF/E history.
@taffysaur The additional two are Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara.
J. R. ranks up there with greats like Gordon Solie and Gorilla Monsoon. Jim Ross defined the Attitude era of WWF/E. It was a damn shame that we have to listen to the likes of Michael Cole now on RAW. Bring back J.R.!
Don't forget Ross and Heyman those guys were great together
totally agree!
we also got wcw on channel 4 for free with nirto on a friday night
JR is the best announcer in WWF/E history. THAT is a fact.
Jim Ross is a legend.
is this in england or usa
That's true, I'll agree to that.
But Heenan did very well in WCW. When they replaced Heenan with Scott Hudson, there was a noticeable decline in quality. Just a shame what happened there.
how olds this interview
@McMahonHater I agree I should of proof read before I posted I meant to say ''hes a little full of it thinking goldberg, Nash, Flair etc not being there ISN'T the reason the invasion angle failed.''
Wrestlemania 25.. Jim Ross and Cole announcing together was like Muhammad Ali in his prime boxing Peter McNeeley.
JR is great. Maybe the greatest, but Monsoon, the Body, and/or Heenan are my favs.
Those are the best announcers ever.
monsoon, piper, heenan, greatest trio ever!!
@Nordfelt yea they are talking about wwe buying wcw and then for some reason they put up footage of abyss from tna. who had nothing to do with wwe or wcw. surely it should have been footage from wcw
ross and styles. the best
As good as J.R. is Gordon Solie is IMO the BEST. There's room for only one dean of wrestling & Gordon Solie earned the moniker & boy did it ever fit to a tee. Listening to him & Jim Ross together in the WCW days was epic, but Gordon's still the BEST.
@Kingdjack3000 If you recall he wasnt injured when they first started the angle, at KOTR 2001 it was Austin vs. Jericho vs. Benoit with storyline going into match if Jericho & Benoit would defect to WCW & bring the WWF Title with them.
dude he is the head of talent relation before john laurinaitis which means he's the one who recruit talents from indy wrestling and molded them into star.. ask jbl who's help sign and help him in wwe and he will give Jim Ross name..
and yes back then wwe has great management team like jim cornette,but guess what he even respect jim ross work backstage even paul heyman admire jim ross work backstage..remember one thing dude jim ross isn't just a great announcer he also a great management..
JR is hands down the best play by play comentator of all time, i think he surpasses Gordon Sollie. JR and Bobby Hennan would be the dream combo. Lawler is good, but second only to the Brain.
Don't feel sorry for him, he doesn't feel sorry for himself. His bells palsy doesn't define him, his brilliant commentary does.
J.R. just seems like he's a good guy
My honest opinion I wish jr was vp of talent relations again he produced so much talent where as Johnny Ace produces football players, bodybuilders, and lingerie models..
the other two are eric bishoff and johnathon coachman
#:58 Is that Buddy Wayne?
@Cap: Agreed. Allow me to fill in the rest. King, JR's best partner. Finkel, best ring announcer. UT, best WRESTLER, CHARACTER, etc of all time. ALL BAR NONE!
what does tna have to do with the wcw takeover?
No. #3 - Lawler/Ross
#2 - Ventura/Monsoon
#2 - Heenan/Monsoon
@tottiballbag10 they didn't do it by accident, the TNA shots are referring to what JR said. they're doing it to show how these huge stars like Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner etc. haven't looked after their money properly and now they're having to still wrestle at their age because of it.
My favorite Announce team was Actually Vince Mcmahon with JR and Jerry Lawler
I really liked the invasion angle when it happened, but in retrospect it was a failure. I think having all of the top WCW names would have been a plus.
To a true wrestling purest - Jim Ross's name can be spelled out in five letters - C-L-A-S-S. The sport owes him more - concerning it's longevity - then many will ever know.
Where is the black hat?
So use to seeing him with his black hat.
Its a fucking shame WWE won't put the greatest wrestling announcer EVER on TV!
That guy looks like the guy from nodq (not Jim)
I cant believe good ol' JR try's to say most of the territories "self destructed" even though vince bought any big stars from the territories then promoted WWF shows featuring the wrestlers he's acquired from the company in the same town's the territorie had been promoting in.
@davidogrady3 ahhhh i wandered about that, cheers m8. i was just thinking "i bet jr hasnt even watched tna before" lol. that makes alot more sense now.
I think JR is the best ever, but the best duo has gotta be Monsoon and The Brain.
I disagree with Jim to a certain extent about the invasion. I mean, he's right in saying that certain guys just weren't going to pass up earning millions for literally taking a 2-year vacation, especially if you're a mark like Goldberg who doesn't realize that the incentives would be worth the investment. BUT for Jim to say that angle was screwed no matter who they brought in is simply bananas... unless he was just implying that McMahon's ego would have fucked it up regardless, which may be true
wcw was on channel 5 not 4
@nWoWolfpacTV
RVD became a WWE champion. The first ECW guy (If you don't count Austin) to accomplish that. I'd say they pushed him pretty far.
JR FTW!
Jim Ross and Paul Heyman commentating was better than anything.
Definitely j.r is a loveable guy. And Itmwould be easier to as well like you said .
@nWoWolfpacTV So true man
to me the WCW and ECW invasion storyline could have lasted for a long time.. at least until NWO or Goldberg or even when Eric came to WWE.. i mean with all that content being purchased by WWE why not continue the storyline? I say it was the most underused storyline ever... with Booker T alone the storyline could have lasted..
fpshooterful I agree
"Pinata! Pinata!"
Monsoon and Ventura were pretty damn entertaining.
Great interview.
WCW invasion was very successful, if you define success as "Making WCW look like a grossly inferior product to the WWF, thus throwing away potential truckloads of money". Also making it a whole McMahon soap opera really blew as well. Ah well 20/20 hindsight and all....still wish ROss would come out and replace Cole or Grisham.
@RedAvery1 still be more appealing then the attitude era
I hate it when the heels mess with j.r or put their hands on him like when Kane burnt him or Eric bischoff off kicked a cinder block on his head etc.. What I'm trying to say is, is that I will instantly get mad if they mess with my favorite announcer
And although I enjoyed monsoons commentary but Jim Ross is the greatest announcer of all time