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What's the story?
Jim Ross returns to Monday Night Raw in just over a weeks time as part of Raw's 25th Anniversary celebrations and it seems that the WWE Hall of Famer took this opportunity to open up about his relationship with the WWE Chairman as well as claiming that he could still be a significant voice on the current product.
In case you didn't know...
Jim Ross was released from WWE back in 2013 when it was reported that Ross failed to control Ric Flair at a WWE2K14 panel event in the months after his son Reid Flair passed away. Vince McMahon later claimed that there was no heat between the two parties and it was Ross' decision to leave the company so that he could spend more time with his family.
Ross did return to WWE back in April 2017 when he was on commentary for The Undertaker versus Roman Reigns a match that was thought to be The Deadman's last WWE match. It was then announced that Ross had signed a two year deal with the company and he later provided commentary alongside Lita at the Mae Young Classic in the Summer.
Ross has been in the broadcasting business for more than 40 years and has also tried his hand at UFC, Boxing and MMA, which is why he is one of the most sought-after commentators in the business.
The heart of the matter
Jim Ross recently appeared on the Unsanctioned Podcast, which is hosted by Luis Vasquez, Jae Holland, Julio Jeune where he was able to add his opinion on some of the biggest stories in wrestling. Ross talked about his infamous relationship with Vince McMahon:
He said: "I wasn't the easiest guy to manage. The story about McMahon used to give J.R. hell; he did sometimes. But guess what, guys? I deserved it sometimes. I deserved to get my ass taken to the woodshed. I'm not infallible, I'm a human being, I have strong opinions, and sometimes I forget who my audience is. And also, I was like one of those guys that I don't like now and disagreed with every damn thing you say - if you don't agree with everything I say, you're an idiot, and I used to think that."
He is set to return to Monday Night Raw on the 22nd January for one night only alongside former broadcast partner Jerry Lawler where the duo will be reunited as part of the anniversary celebrations. It seems that Ross thinks that he could easily be part of the current commentary team.
"If you're asking if I could carry the mail on today's WWE product, absolutely. I like to consider myself a 40-plus year broadcaster. I've done boxing, I've done MMA, I've done NFL, I've done XFL. I'd like to think I'm a broadcaster/storyteller. And I believe that if I couldn't adapt, it'd be on me, not on the product. Because product's what it is. I've done everything from WrestleMania to Smokey Mountain Wrestling. It's all different man."
What's next?
Jim Ross will appear on the 25th anniversary of Monday Night Raw in a weeks' time alongside a number of other legends from the past quarter of a century that has made Raw the company's flagship show.
Author's take
Jim Ross and Vince McMahon have butted heads over the past few decades, it's become quite a well-known thing at this point, but Ross's comments about fitting in with the current commentary team could hopefully mean that there will be more returns to the company for the WWE Hall of Famer in the future.
