WWE News: Jim Ross Hints At ‘WrestleMania 33’ Return
When the wife of WWE Hall of Fame commentator Jim Ross tragically passed away last week, many WWE superstars reached out with their condolences. Many fans thought it was the first time that Ross had made contact with certain members of the WWE, but at his one-man show in Orlando Saturday, PWInsider reports that Jim Ross admitted that he had been in contact with the WWE concerning a return to the company for WrestleMania 33 before his wife passed away.
As Mauro Ranallo mentioned today in a tweet, Jim Ross will be making his return to the WWE for WrestleMania 33 to announce the match between Roman Reigns and the Undertaker. Considering WrestleMania 33 might be Undertaker’s final match for the WWE before his retirement, having Jim Ross announce the match makes perfect sense.
However, Jim Ross refused to admit to the WrestleMania 33 news when asked at his one-man show in Orlando. He did admit that his wife, Jan, had said that she would love to see Jim Ross walk out one more time for a WrestleMania event. Sadly, she will not see that, but will likely be with Ross in spirit.
Jim Ross posted a blog entry last week, following the death of Jan, about his relationship with her and what he believes is her desire for him to attend the WrestleMania 33 events this weekend.
“I truly think that is what Jan would have wanted. I will be able to be around friends and fans in a positive environment of which I feel that I need. The alternative was to stay home and continue to be reminded of what I’ve lost, if that makes sense.”
Jan was riding her Vespa home from a gym in their hometown of Norman, Oklahoma, when a car driven by a teenager struck her. The two vehicles caught fire and Jan was rushed to a hospital. Jim Ross admitted that she was not wearing a helmet and that it might have saved her life if she was.
Jan Ross was 55 at the time of her death. She had been married to Jim Ross for 24 years, the couple meeting when he was still working for WCW. When Jim Ross was in charge of talent relations in the WWE, Jan would open their home for prospects, and many WWE superstars chimed in with their memories and love for both Jan and Jim Ross.
Jim Ross writes for Fox Sports, so when they announced yesterday that he was calling a match at WrestleMania 33, it pretty much locked up any questions that fans had about the validity of the reports.
However, Fox Sports said that Jim Ross will call the WrestleMania 33 match between Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg, so there is no real clarification on which of the two main event matches that Ross will be covering. For old school WWE fans, there might even be more room for excitement.
ProWrestling.net reported that Jerry Lawler announced when he started his podcast that he will be calling a match at WrestleMania 33 as well. Could there be a chance that the legendary pairing of Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler could call one more match at a WrestleMania?
According to numerous reports, Jim Ross started working on a new deal with the WWE before Jan passed away. The WrestleMania match will be a one-time deal, as Ross has said constantly that he is not willing to work a full-time schedule as an announcer again at his age.
However, that could change with the passing of his wife. For now, the new WWE deal looks like Jim Ross will be working behind-the-scenes on DVDs and WWE Network shows. Jim Ross has been announcing shows for New Japan and others, but WrestleMania 33 will be his first time back with the WWE since leaving the company in 2013.
[Featured Image by WWE]
