Farewell to a WWE legend: Jim Ross

Jim Ross retires

If you just so happened to be a 90s kid, you’d be one of the millions of fans who thought professional wrestling was “cool”.

As the industry saw its greatest boom during the late 90s, the performers and the other personnel were witnessing the dawn of a new era. It was the beginning of something unique, something that comes by once in a life time.

You’d have heard about the greatest generation of footballers and other sportsmen, and 90s was professional wrestling’s greatest generation.

The talent pool was amazing, and with the WWF, ECW and WCW putting on great shows with edgy product, professional wrestling was the new “it”, and everybody, especially the teenagers became enticed with the product.

One of the biggest reasons for 90s being so great was the talent at the companies’ disposal. From the Hogans to The Undertakers to Steve Austins, 90s saw some of the greatest performers hit their peak.

But there was one other reason, a major reason why professional wrestling and the superstars were so popular.

It was due to one man behind the booth who called the play by play action, who put the life into the product; not by performing in the ring, but like a true magician who breathes life into his act, he poured his heart and soul into what was going on inside the ring.

There were many great commentators in professional wrestling. From the Gordon Solies to Gorilla Monsoons, many legends lent their voice to the business. But perhaps, the greatest of them all was the simple, verbose yet nonchalant character from Oklahoma, Jim Ross.

A couple of hours ago, WWE announced the following:

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross announced that he is retiring from WWE today, after 20 years of service, to focus on his personal business endeavors.

Jim has had a long and storied career at WWE, both on the corporate staff as well as his television persona, calling some of the most memorable matches in WWE history as the voice of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown for more than two decades.

He made his debut with WWE at WrestleMania IX in 1993 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007 by his long-time friend “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

The man who created the aura of the most beloved era has retired from professional wrestling. Although Jim Ross hasn’t been on TV for many years, he used to make special appearances and worked with the young talent in NXT.

Jim Ross’s immortal words still dwell inside the heads of professional wrestling fans who were fortunate enough to witness one of the greatest announcers do what he does best.

Ross wasn’t one of the “Ignore play by play for colour” guys; he was more orthodox, more traditional. He believed that the essence of professional wrestling wasn’t confined to what happened inside the ring. He, along with the likes of Bobby Heenan, defined the role of a play by play announcer in professional wrestling.

I won’t compare the similarities or differences between Heenan and Ross. They were different in their own ways.

While Heenan had the gift of humour, Ross had the gift of pouring life and soul into a match. His famous rants about the likes of Austins and McMahons made some of the greatest feuds sound legendary, and his emotions and verbiage made even the trite and mundane storylines sound as if they were pieces of art.

Jim Ross had the special knack of putting over a storyline purely with words, and that is something no one can replicate. Ross gave legitimacy and credibility to superstars just by putting them over on commentary. Jim Ross was truly one of a kind.

Truly one of a kind – Jim Ross

Ross’s contributions to the WWF and professional wrestling didn’t just end there. Ross was responsible for bringing in stars from all over the world, including the rival companies.

Ross’s role in the beginning of Attitude Era cannot be ignored. If it weren’t for Jim Ross, there wouldn’t have been an Attitude Era, as most of the stars during that period were signed by J.R.

If it weren’t for Ross putting over the Austin-McMahon feud, it wouldn’t have been as impactful. With Jim Ross being the head of Talent Relations for a brief period in the WWF, he made sure that the line of great performers continued, and brought in some of the biggest names in professional wrestling to the WWF.

It can be said that without Ross, professional wrestling wouldn’t have been where it is today.

With Jim Ross’s retirement, it is truly the end of an era. For all those who were captivated by the emotions of Jim Ross, he will be truly an inspiration. From the legendary matches he called to the stories he was involved in, Jim Ross was more than just a mere commentator.

He was truly the greatest ambassador for professional wrestling.

Ross has earned his retirement, and with a heavy heart and a deep sense of gratitude, I speak on behalf of the wrestling fans when I say “Thank you”.

The contributions of Good Ol’ J. R will never be forgotten, and certainly will never be repeated.