Jim Ross Comments On What Went Wrong With Original XFL

In an interview with Busted Open Radio (via Wrestling Inc), Jim Ross spoke about various topics. Here are the highlights:

On what he would change about the XFL product:

“You’ve got to be very selective of your cities and how those cities and franchises are going to be managed and promoted. You need to sell tickets, and generally local promoters have a better handle on getting tickets sold vs outsiders, so local promotion is important. Stadium selection is important. The LA Chargers are playing in a soccer stadium and no one seems to care. It will hold the costs down in that regards. There was no kickoffs. I like punts and kickoffs because there’s a chance for a big play. Another issue is where do you get good officials from? The NFL sure as hell doesn’t have a monopoly on them, because you see what they’re using.”

On why he thinks Vince McMahon is bringing the XFL back:

“He loves taking calculated risks. I had the first meeting with him after the first XFL went down, and I think we lost 50 million or something like that. We had a regular meeting and we talked about the XFL for a minute or two. He said ‘JR I took a calculated risk and it didn’t go down. I still believe in the concept.’ I don’t have an issue with the concept. I don’t know if he’s bored or he just loves the challenge. I know that was a challenge that went unfulfilled, didn’t succeed at it, and maybe there’s something to be said about his competitive nature. I can tell you that he sees something that is different than the last go-round. It should be exciting as it progresses.”