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"He had an amazing look" - Jim Ross thought former WWE IC Champion would be a bigger star

By Danny Hart
Modified Oct 29, 2021 22:05 IST
Jim Ross worked for WWE for a combined 22 years.
Jim Ross worked for WWE for a combined 22 years.

Former WWE commentator and executive Jim Ross expected Ahmed Johnson to have a more successful career in the wrestling business.

Johnson worked for WWE between 1995 and 1998 before having a short spell with WCW. His biggest career accomplishment came in 1996 when he won the Intercontinental Championship to become the first African-American to hold a WWE singles title.

Ross, who also worked as WWE’s Head of Talent Relations, said on Grilling JR that he thought Johnson would achieve more based on his appearance.

“I thought Ahmed Johnson would be a bigger star, simply because of his 8x10 and his gift of gab,” Jim Ross said. “He was a terrific BS’er. If you can recall, he had an amazing look. He had everything he needed physically: look, size, height, all jacked up.”

Ahmed Johnson competed in his final match in 2003 after a 14-year wrestling career. Earlier this year, he told Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Dr. Chris Featherstone that Vince McMahon once said he would never be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Jim Ross on WWE’s high hopes for Ahmed Johnson

Legendary wrestling promoter Bill Watts briefly worked for WWE as a booker in 1995. At the time, Watts thought the up-and-coming Ahmed Johnson could achieve similar success to WWE Hall of Famer Junkyard Dog (JYD).

Elaborating on Johnson’s three-year WWE run, Jim Ross said the powerhouse superstar’s time with the company was disappointing.

“I think he probably disappointed a lot of people because we had high hopes for him,” Jim Ross said. “African-American, big gruff voice that’s distinguishable, looked like a million bucks. Was he a great worker? No. Watts liked him because he reminded Bill of JYD, because JYD wasn’t a great worker either. He just sold money in merch.”

Another major moment from Johnson’s WWE career came in 1997 when he joined The Nation of Domination. He only spent two months with the group before becoming a singles superstar again.

According to Johnson, Vince McMahon removed him from The Nation because he thought the faction had become too strong with him as a member.

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

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