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Boomer Sooner! Someone break out the barbecue sauce, because good old JR is officially on the AEW announce team! Here are eight reasons why this is a huge deal for both AEW and wrestling fans.
Sixty Seven years ago in Oklahoma, our world was given a gift.
The gift of James William Ross, better known to wrestling fans as Good Old JR. When you grow up in Oklahoma, there are three things that absolutely define your existence; Football, farming, and professional wrestling.
Many people don't know that Jim Ross almost missed out on an announce career because he was an athlete. He played baseball, football, and was a four year letter man on his basketball team. Jim Ross was also Student Body president.
As if he weren't busy enough being a three sport athlete and a burgeoning politician, Ross was also heavily involved in the Future Farmers of America. He even won a state speech championship from the organization.
Ross would gravitate towards sports commentary while in college, which turned out to be valuable experience. He wound up working for the NWA as an announce talent, and his smooth delivery and speaking skills made him rise quickly through the ranks.
He became the senior announcer for Jim Crockett productions, and continued in that role when Ted Turner purchased JCP and turned it into WCW. However, future WCW Vice president Eric Bischoff and Jim Ross did not get along, and when Bischoff was promoted ahead of him, good old JR asked for his release from the company.
Jim Ross would then become the voice of WWE, modifying his announce style to add more bombast and raw emotion. He spent twenty years calling some of the biggest events in pro wrestling history with the company, until Vince McMahon took him off of announce duties, allegedly for being too old.
But while WWE was done with him, Jim Ross was not done with wrestling. He leased out his golden voice to NJPW and boxing events, and WWE has called him back for special occasions such as the Mae Young Classic and the anniversary of Raw.
Now, Jim Ross has signed with the fledgling AEW promotion, in what is said to be the most lucrative announce contract in wrestling history. Here are eight reasons why AEW snagging Jim Ross is a very big deal.
Reason #1: Jim Ross is more experienced than any other broadcaster in pro wrestling.
Jim Ross has been calling matches for literally longer than many fans have been watching sports entertainment, or even been alive!
Just think about the wealth of experience he brings to All Elite Wrestling. Jim Ross has seen promotions come and go. He has seen the meteoric rise of WCW, some of which he experienced first hand, and the terrible crash that followed. He's seen how the business has changed from clusters of regional promotions to consolidated big federations.
Given all of the ways that pro wrestling has evolved, it's hard to find a man who has experienced more of it than Jim Ross.
Reason #2: His mere presence gives All Elite Wrestling credibility.
For many fans, Jim Ross is THE voice of professional wrestling. He's called major events from the first Clash of the Champions to over a dozen Wrestlemanias. Long time fans can remember him from the 1970's regional era, and NWA fans know him from his days with that company.
For many years, Jim Ross was the voice of the WWE as well. Every Raw, Pay Per View, and many of the backstage or in ring interviews were performed by Jim Ross himself. His ability to remain tonally serious even when dealing with undead cowboys and post apocalyptic warlords was invaluable. His 'normalness' made their strangeness all the more bizarre.
Jim Ross's name has a certain amount of prestige attached to it, and helps to legitimize All Elite Wrestling in the eyes of fans and critics.
Reason #3: Many pro wrestling fans have literally grown up hearing him call matches.
When you're in an industry as long as Jim Ross has been in sports entertainment, you're going to have lifelong fans--literally.
Many wrestling fans were children when Jim Ross began his announce career, and they grew up hearing him call matches. Then they became adults, had children and careers, and through it all the one constant of their world was Jim Ross calling pro wrestling matches. Now those same fans have created multi generational fanbases for Jim Ross, as their children are fans of his as well.
If there's one thing that audiences crave, it's a certain degree of familiarity--why else would Supernatural run for seventeen seasons? Jim Ross provides that familiarity with his famous voice and no nonsense delivery on the announce desk, and that's just one more reason why him signing with AEW is a huge deal.
Reason #4: The fans miss Jim Ross on commentary.
When fans bring up how much they miss the Attitude Era, one of the first reasons they give will be the announce team of Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.
Jim Ross remains one of the best play by play colour commentators in the pro wrestling industry. He's been able to change subtly with the times. During his early tenure with the NWA, Jim Ross played it very straight. He did not get emotionally involved with the action, preferring to be an objective observer--which was the way announcers were expected to behave in that time and place.
When he joined WWE, Jim Ross changed his style up. In order to mimic the bombast and emotional commentary by Vince McMahon, Jim Ross created many of his custom catch phrases like "He's been broken in half!" To many fans, he was the voice of wrestling for so long they feel like something's missing without his presence. There's no doubt that Jim Ross will change his style again to best mould to the needs and environment of All Elite Wrestling.
Reason #5: He has an eye for spotting and nurturing the best talent.
When you think of the Attitude Era in WWE, there's one wrestler likely to be on your mind; Stone Cold Steve Austin.
With his beer swigging, middle finger raising, mud hole stomping anti hero ways, Steve Austin changed the perception about what a face, or good guy wrestler, could be defined as. It's hard to imagine where the WWE would be today without Austin.
But when Steve Austin signed with the WWE, he wasn't Stone Cold as of yet. He was named Ringmaster, and assigned a manager in the form of Ted Dibiase. Austin was being prepped for a mid card/gatekeeper role, but Jim Ross believed that Austin could be the top guy in the company if given a chance.
As we all know, Jim Ross convinced the WWE that he was right, and Stone Cold is one of the most iconic figures in all of wrestling today. Jim Ross could spot the next Stone Cold or Undertaker in the AEW's roster, you just never know.
Reason #6: He still has a lot to offer to the pro wrestling industry.
Something that tragically affects many aging people all around the world is being forcibly retired, or moved to a less important role as they get older.
In a youth obsessed culture, age and wisdom are often discounted in favour of hipness, or youth and beauty. Jim Ross was removed from his commentator role because WWE wanted to have a younger, fresher announce team.
But Jim Ross wasn't ready for retirement. He had this to say:
“I had 26 great years there [in WWE], but they took me out of the game, like DNP, did not play, coach’s decision list and I wasn’t ready for that to be me. And I’m not angry about it. They made a business decision.”
Jim Ross believes that he can still offer a lot to the wrestling industry, and the fans and AEW seem to concur.
Reason #7: He has a great connection with the wrestling fans.
Announcers come and announcers go, much like the talent. Remember Mike Adamle? Of course you don't, no one does...or is willing to admit it if they do.
While it can be hard to find that perfect mix of play by play and approachability that makes for a great announcer, it's not impossible. Jim Ross has that perfect mix.
One of the reasons that Jim Ross can connect with wrestling fans so well is that he is a wrestling fan, and always has been. He's not a failed mainstream sports broadcaster or ex wrestler bitter about the business.
Jim Ross had this to say about his legions of fans:
"Every time I’ve had these heartbreaking situation. Every time I have been down, the wrestling fans have picked me up. For whatever reason, myself and the fanbase have connected. When you are in the wrestling business, the business becomes your family. The fans become your family. I don’t know what else I could do in my life that makes me happier than what I am about to start.”
Reason #8: He remains the best announcer in wrestling.
Despite the fact that he's nearing sixty, Robert Downey Junior has as of yet not given up on the role of Iron Man (and for you nerds who want to say he might die in Endgame, well, he could still appear in flashbacks, so there.) Why does Mr. Downey Junior keep going back to the role? Because he feels he still performs at a high level, and can offer his cast-mates something to help the franchise grow.
Jim Ross is in much the same boat. Despite his age, Good Old JR believes that not only can he help AEW get off the ground, he can help it thrive. Jim Ross has been announcing for longer than many wrestling fans have been alive; He can build up a wrestler's character--in fact, he's genius at doing so--and sell an angle to the audience no matter how ludicrous or contrived.
In short, Jim Ross is still the best voice in wrestling today, and now fans can look forward to hearing that voice on AEW broadcasts.
