
AEW announcer and Senior Advisor โGood Oleโ J.R.โ Jim Ross took to an episode of his โGrilling Jrโ podcast to talk about a number of topics including refusing to do a cowboy gimmick before his first WWE departure in 1994.
Ross said, โI think I was wrong. I made too big a deal out of it when it wasnโt. It was just costume, television apparel. Thatโs like an actor going through the director saying โDo I have to grow a beard? Do I have to wear the hat?โ I didnโt care โ the hat was fine. I wasnโt overwhelmed with an oversimplification of what my character was supposed to be. String tie: out, a Porter Waggoner jacket with wagon wheels, horses, cows, and stuff: out. Because I kept saying, โWe donโt dress like that anymore. Porter Waggoner ainโt on TV anymore, he got canceled.โโ
โI said, โWearing a black hat, I can handle that. And I look forward to that. And Iโm in it.โ But hereโs a theory is, I told him no. And most people donโt have the experience of telling Vince McMahon no and quote-unquote, โliving to tell about it.โ And I didnโt live to tell about it. But honestly, and looking back at it in todayโs world especially, I had no issue with it at the end of the day. But I said no. And he doesnโt like to be told no.โ
On telling the story behind it in an interview:
โPretty much just [I wanted to] tell my side of the story. There was a lot of false accusations and reasoning and things like that werenโt accurate. So I wanted to at least tell my side of the story. But I probably โ at the end of that day, if I had to go back and do it over again. I got nothing against Wade Keller. Heโs a good writer, and heโs been doing it for a long time. I wouldnโt have done it. Or if I did it, I wouldnโt have done it to that degree.โ
โBut you know, you get these dudes on the telephone. They want to talk for two or three hours. And itโs hard to guard every word, guard every phrase. And so I missed up there by booking that appearance and doing the interview. Again, I have nothing against Wade Keller, just in my political state at that time I should have just tagged out and wandered on away, and figured out something else to do. Because I had plenty of options. I just didnโt want to leave where I was leaving. I didnโt want to have to move again and pack again and all this stuff. So I made a โ thatโs my goal. And I donโt mind at this stage of my life admitting when I made the mistakes. I wish I hadnโt done it. But I did, but it wasnโt like I broke the law or anything along those lines. But what I did was break Vinceโs trust, which is more potent and powerful than the law.โ
On meeting with Eric Bischoff between WWE runs and being told that WCW wasnโt interested:
โA little bit [shocked that he was blunt about it], but Iโm glad that he was honest. He was very honest. It didnโt happen, and he told me it wasnโt going to happen. I didnโt like โ my disagreement was on the reasoning, that I sound too Southern. I was better suited to be on the corn patch at Hee Haw than not. And I knew that I didnโt have the respect of my bosses. Like I remember Bill Shaw told me one time that even a trained duck could announce wrestling. That told me a lot more than I needed to know. Because he wasnโt a student of the game, he had a job they got appointed to. He covered his ass on every corner. I never was a Big Bill Shaw fan, because he was another one of those guys that thought he knew more than he did. And that made it hard to work for him and under him, because heโd bring to you these alleged issues. Like what you said, or how you said something. And I was just not fair, in my opinion.โ
โBut when Eric told me that they had nothing for me, I wasnโt totally shocked. Because he was very straightforward, he was very honest. And I always appreciated that from Eric. And we didnโt always get along well. We get along great now. We really do. And Iโm happy for his success on your network, and all the other things heโs doing. So I got over it, in other words. But at least he was honest, I didnโt leave that meeting guessing, โWell, hereโs an option thatโs still out there.โ It wasnโt out there anymore. I think I could have helped WCW immensely at that time. But that was not the case.โ
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)