Jim Ross Is Staying With The WWE

[Jack-Hammer]

There's been a lot of speculation, and some outright hope among some fans, that Jim Ross could possibly be heading to TNA. As of today, there's no possibility of Jim Ross heading to TNA anytime in the forseeable future.

Apparently, according to JR's blog, he and the WWE have reached an agreement: "Ihave worked out what we believe to be a win/win, employee agreement with WWE and will remain with the company that I have been with essentially since 1993 when I debuted at Wrestlemania 9. (To celebrate this occasion, as I'm writing this I'm wearing a toga.) Going forward, I will be focusing on a variety of talent relations matters, essentially as a consultant, of which will not require weekly travel. I will be visiting FCW in Tampa on a regular basis to observe the development of the young men and women who, I hope, all want to headline Wrestlemania some day. This area of the company has always been of particular interest to me including when we opened developmental areas years ago in Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, and Southern California. Many of the WWE's biggest stars of this generation came from those areas."

There have also been rumors of Ross working as a commentator in MMA: "The new arrangement with WWE will allow me to explore broadcast options in other, non competitive areas such as MMA if I so choose. (For now, being a MMA fan and watching the UFC this Saturday night on PPV works for me. I'm still an Evans 'lean.' as this one has Slobber-Knocker written all over it.)"

So, judging by this, Jim Ross seems to be pretty happy and it doesn't really sound as though he wants to be a WWE Commentator anymore and prefers talent relations. At any rate, having Jim Ross involved in any way can only be considered a good thing.

 

[Ferbian]

Jim Ross is a great talent scout for WWE, he discovered John Cena after all.

I think it may very well be one of the better choices, I feel he could still be good on in the commentator booth, but if that's not what he wants, then who am I (we) to tell him that he has to do it?

If Jim Ross sticks to talent relations, there's really nothing to do about it, as long as it's what he wants, then let him do that, I believe he can easily bring in future talent if he sticks to that, and he can function very well backstage, Jim Ross has a great mind for the business, so there's no doubt that he'll be doing great with a full time position in talent relations.

 

[Mr_billy]

With his health conditions he has, this sounds like a great idea. I wish him the best in his position, an I'm looking forward to his findings. I'll miss his commentary and passion on weekly TV, but I'm looking forward to the future, and I hope to hear him call real fights.MMA.

 

[bigdaddyb673]

this sucks....JR still at his age destroys any of the "annoucers" the WWE.
I wish he would've went to TNA an announcer with his credibility would've helped boost that brand not that Taz and Teney aren't a decent team but oh well.....

 

[closet_fan]

bigdaddy i thought the same thing at first. but i think him going to tna would have destroyed a lot of credibility that he has in the industry. he wouldn't have helped the overall product that much. and knowing the way things are run, they would have found a way to ruin what would have been a good thing.

in the end, it sucks not seeing jr call a match again, but i am glad he is staying in the E.

 

[Phenomenal]

If he was going to TNA, then i could give a shit, but he's not so i really dont care what he does. His commentary on Undertaker vs HBK at WM 25 was AMAZING by the way. What a way to leave the business, hey.

i wish he could of come to TNA and scream from the top of his lungs since Don West cant do it because he's been replaced.

 

[jaxx]

First off I would like to say congratulations J.R. on your new deal, it seems you worked out a deal that mutually beneficial. Now with that out of the way let me just say that this is sad news if you're a tna fan, because good ol J.R. was the last option available that could come in and REALLY FIX TNA. I have to say that I'm very disappointed in Dixie and TNA for not realizing how important jim ross is.

From what I understand I guess Dixie wasn't willing to give J.R. the kind of authority he was looking for, because russo, hogan, and bischoff are doing such an excellent job. I understand one of J.R.'s conditions was that russo be completely removed from creative. (Hello Dixie! get a clue!) How many times do you have to hear Russso doesn't know what he is doing before you get a clue. How many 0.9-1.0 ratings do you have to get before you get a clue. Wow, just look at the awesome job bischoff and hogan has done with the k.o. division, and the x-division.

J.R. could have fixed a lot of the key problems within TNA, and I'm sorry to see that he wasn't given that opportunity. On the flip side of things, maybe J.R. realized that fixing TNA would be more of a task than he wanted at this stage of his life, or he realized that Dixie has no clue what she is doing and that working in TNA would not be worth the headache, either way its a huge loss for TNA.

 

[XgringolocoX]

I've been a fan of JR since I watched WM9 on PPV as a kid. Great career. While I'll selfishly miss his presence on TV I'm happy that he's getting the oppurtunity to pursue soome of his other interests.
As a wrestling fan I'm very hopeful that JR's eye for talent will bring us a great crop of athletes who will be able to reenergize this business. Hopefully his stature within the college althetic field will help some great contenders think more about wrestling. This is a good look for the future.

 

[steveh0481]

Nothing else really needs to be said that hasnt been said. Yes, it stinks that we wont hear JR calling matches anymore. However, I dont think him going to TNA would be a good business decision. He is clearly on the back end of his career so why not let him do something he enjoys. Good for JR that he stuck with the WWE and is doing what he has wanted to do.

 

[Stormtrooper]

I for one am really happy that he didn't go to TNA. TNA is (still) the minor leagues compared to WWE, and with all his prior health issues, he doesn't need the added stress of being blamed when his amazing commentary can't save the company (like a commentator can actually make the product better).

JR doing talent relations, and working with the FCW crew is the best thing to happen to not just JR, but the WWE. JR is a very smart when it comes to wrestling, and will really help FCW in the present, and those people will in turn affect WWE positively. Not only can JR help create new stars in FCW, he can also mentor the FCW commentators, and maybe he can mold someone into "the next JR." Plus he has said something that he can do writing and broadcasting outside of wrestling, which would be good for both of those mediums. So it isn't like he won't be busy.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

mike tenay is a good announcer and has been around long enough to know the game... he will surely help taz reach another level in announcing... and taz shouldn't be too bad given some of the great announcers he has to help him like tenay and styles... if anything... JR needs to find a way to help the announcing in his own house before jumping over to someone else's... WWE announcing is awful and makes watching the show less exciting... JR needs to help these guys out and maybe that'll take WWE to a higher level.

 

[latino World order]

Jim Ross has probably been one of the most loyal people this company has seen and it would be a shame not to hire him back. He commentary skills are decent, but he has a creative mind and will certainly for useful for the WWE.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I don't think JR would've fit well in TNA. I just couldn't picture Ross doing commentary for that promotion. Besides, Tenay and Tazz are good together, and there's no reason to split them up. This is a great move by WWE. I love JR, but he's just not what he used to be when it comes to commentary. Plus, every WWE brand has a team of commentators who work well together, so I really don't know where Ross would fit in. Ross has a passion for the wrestling business, and he'll do a fine job in talent relations.

 

[gd]

Too bad he's not coming back to the announce table. They really need someone that is at least bearable at the moment. Everyone they have right now basically completely sucks. I guess it's for the best though, don't want him having a stroke on the announce table or anything.

Him being a commentator for UFC or Strickforce would be just priceless. Entertaining beyond belief. I doubt it'll happen, but I'd certainly love to see it.

 

[THEGRANDSLAM]

There wasn't really any reason for him to go to TNA, Mike Tenay is a great commentator and a 3 man announcing team doesn't work in Wrestling especially with 2 play-by-play guys. He did the right thing. Maybe Vince will see the light

 

[Mustang Sally]

As stated, TNA doesn't need J.R. to work as an announcer, but WWE is well-advised to hold onto the man even if he never appears on the air again. Since he joined the company, J.R. has filled many functions in the company in the areas of talent and development. His years of experience have made him an extremely valuable employee.

If Vince McMahon wants to keep TNA from catching up to WWE, not allowing Jim Ross to work for the younger company is a wise decision. Who knows what innovative concepts the man might come up with? We don't even know for sure specifically what ideas J.R. created that helped WWE defeat WCW, but I'll bet his contributions were significant.

People talk about Eric Bischoff as being a great promoter and innovator, but as far as I can see, he was good only at spending over-the-top amounts of money to procure talent and elaborate production facilities.....and thrusting himself to the front as an on-air personality.

Forget him. Instead, give me Jim Ross working behind the scenes and helping to create a product that's long-lasting and profitable. WWE couldn't afford to let J.R. go.....and I suspect Vince McMahon knew it all along.

A terrific dividend would be to allow Ross to fill in as an occasional guest announcer. I'd love to see it.

 

[hatehabsforever]

I am delighted that WWE rehired Jim Ross and that he didn't "jump ship" and go to TNA as was foolishly speculated. Jim Ross has given a lot to the WWE and as such deserves a position within the organization as long as he chooses to continue to work. During his heyday, Jim Ross was the best announcer in the business.

Having said this, I hope he does not return to play-by-play/commentary on a regular basis. It would be great every now and then as Sally suggests, but not as their regular guy. Time has a way of passing people by, and that certainly applies to Jim Ross and ring-side commentary in professional wrestling.

Jim Ross is older now and pro wrestling is different than it was. In some ways that's good, in other ways not so much, but different nontheless. Jim Ross's work has been slipping for years. He's increasingly difficult to understand. Granted that's not his fault and that's unfortunate, but the facts are what the facts are. He was making mistakes more frequently in his last tenure of announcing, which was unfortunate as well. Now Cole and Stryker and others make lots of mistakes too, but they're still learning the job; Ross was making mistakes because of health, age, etc.,.

Jim Ross deserves a popsition of prominence in the WWE, but behind the scenes. Talent relations, storyline consultant, something like this. But on camera, no. Maybe the occasional cameo, but not every week on Monday Night Raw.