"Could have been handled a lot better" – WWE legend on Vince McMahon changing his role

Vince McMahon has been known to make sudden behind-the-scenes changes during his four decades in charge of WWE. Jim Ross, one of McMahon's former right-hand men, recently recalled how his long-time friend could have communicated with him better at times.

Ross worked for WWE for a combined 23 years between 1993 and 2019. The 71-year-old is best known for his on-screen role as a commentator. Away from the cameras, he also played an integral part in recruiting talent and negotiating contracts.

On his Grilling JR podcast, Ross reflected on Vince McMahon decreasing his backstage responsibilities in the early 2010s:

"My situation was just very arduous. It was no secret that Vince wanted to go younger, different look, different sound, and that would eliminate JR. So, I guess if you're a performer or a talent, you've gotta expect this is gonna happen at some point in time. It's just I thought sometimes it was handled a little coarsely. Could have been handled a lot better, in my opinion. Of course that's me being biased because it's about me." [14:38 – 15:11]

In 2013, Ross left WWE shortly after hosting a video game panel before SummerSlam. Vince McMahon wrongly accused the legendary announcer of being drunk at the event. He also questioned his former employee's reliability.

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How Jim Ross felt about Vince McMahon altering his role

In the early 2010s, Jim Ross appeared sporadically on WWE television as a commentator and on-screen personality. He also helped train the company's up-and-coming announcers at the Performance Center. Around the same time, John Laurinaitis and Triple H stepped up to take on more backstage responsibilities.

Looking back, Ross thinks people in WWE management could have handled certain situations better:

"A lot of conflicting mindsets. 'What's going on? Why is all this happening?' And the communication wasn't great. So, in any event, it was tough sledding for old JR at different points during this era." [15:30 – 15:48]

On this week's episode, Ross also explained why his friendship with Ric Flair is no longer as strong as it once was.

Do you think Jim Ross is the best commentator in wrestling history? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.