"He didn’t want me to hire him” - WWE Hall of Famer reveals reason why Vince McMahon was opposed to signing multi-time World Champion

If Vince McMahon had gotten his way, he might have missed out on having one of the biggest WWE Superstars of all time on his roster.

Jim Ross was the head of WWE Talent Relations for a number of years. He was responsible for hiring the likes of John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and Batista, to name a few.

On the latest episode of Grillin' JR, the WWE Hall of Famer spoke about the fact that Vince McMahon initially didn't want to hire Randy Orton after finding out that he had been court-martialed.

“When Vince found out that Randy Orton was court-martialed, he didn’t want me to hire him,” Jim Ross revealed. “I resisted with good reasons. I said, ‘Look Vince, everybody deserves a second chance. How many chances have you gotten?’ I’ve gotten plenty, and I’m thankful for them.” [H/T: SEScoops]

How different would Vince McMahon's WWE look without Randy Orton and John Cena?

Luckily Jim Ross changed Vince McMahon's mind, and The Viper became one of the biggest WWE Superstars in the history of the company.

By the same token, when Ross hired John Cena, Mr. McMahon had no clue who he was.

“I hired so many guys that Vince [McMahon] had never heard of. Never seen. He didn’t know who the hell John Cena was,” Jim Ross said. “He [Cena] wasn’t on the mainstream working in Hollywood. He was working two or three jobs and he was learning to wrestle. It was a fun job, and we left our mark. Our administration left our mark on the company that’s still being felt today.” [H/T: SEScoops]

It's startling to think about what the last two decades of WWE might look like without Randy Orton and John Cena as part of the roster.

What do you make of Jim Ross' comments? Are you surprised to hear that Vince McMahon initially didn't want to sign Randy Orton to WWE? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.