WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently revealed a forgotten concept he once pitched during his time in WWE that would have seen a wrestling event take place at the infamous Alcatraz Island.
Speaking on Grilling JR while discussing AEW’s upcoming Fairway to Hell event, Ross explained that the idea generated genuine interest internally before eventually getting stalled by government bureaucracy and logistical complications.
“The idea that I came up with that never happened was I pitched matches from Alcatraz. And there was a lot of interest in it internally from us and the parks and recreation people or some government agency that manages that property. It just got politics involved, and it got bogged down and we couldn’t get it out of the mud. A bureaucracy. And it finally, like a lot of concepts in politics, it ran its course, people lost interest, and there the idea went.”
Ross went on to explain how he envisioned the unique presentation, including potentially featuring only a select number of matches filmed on location.
“I thought that would have been a decent idea because you’d have the rustic outdoor thing at Alcatraz. In my crazy mind, you could do a two-match, pay-per-view, out to match elements, and the main event would be held. Of course, you want to save that space for the main event, and that might be the only thing you have from Alcatraz. You have the matches at other venues to supplement the card, but the attraction would be Alcatraz.”
Ross later revealed that the concept was intended to involve The Undertaker, though he did not disclose who the Deadman’s opponent would have been.
During the same discussion, Ross also reflected on past conversations with All Japan Pro Wrestling about potentially holding a crossover-style event featuring exploding deathmatch elements. He admitted that while some talent were interested in the concept, he personally was never fully sold on the idea.
“I would have done that, but that doesn’t mean it’s right or wrong. My cup of tea. I never could figure what we could gain out of it. How’s it going to get anybody over? And Mick would lobby for that booking. He might want to do it with Sabu because he’s the guy that’s been in the most of those crazy matches.”
Ross also shared concerns about the safety and presentation of exploding deathmatches.
“There’s just no distinct margin for error in those exploding matches. You’re not dealing with professional pyro guys. You’re dealing with wrestlers who have a lighter. I like to watch them sometimes, but to watch a whole pay-per-view built around that, that doesn’t work for me. That’s too gimmicky for me,” Ross said.
Ross’ comments offered another fascinating glimpse into some of the unusual concepts discussed behind the scenes during WWE’s creative boom periods, including ideas that ultimately never made it past the planning stages.
