AEW News: Hall Of Famer Discusses Role With Company, Says It Gave Him Purpose Again
During a recent interview with Forbes, Jim Ross discussed being a part of All Elite Wrestling and what the company’s plans are. The legendary announcer joined the company last year, and currently serves as an on-air commentator and backstage official, and he appears to be enjoying his job.
According to Ross, the promotion wants to place an emphasis on storylines, as he believes they’re the key to the company’s success.
“Storytelling is the steak. The whistles and bells — the pyro, the graphics, the technical things — that’s the sizzle. It’s all about the steak. What is the reality of these individuals? Who are they? I think that’s kind of what we’re looking at here in this deal — we want to deliver more steak than the others in the same field or genre. And I think that’s what we’re doing.”
AEW has been focused on rivalries since launching, several of which have been long-term storylines with big payoffs. In the eyes of some wrestling fans, the company’s sensibilities have been a breath of fresh air in the current sports entertainment climate, as WWE storylines are regularly criticized for being awful or lacking in quality.
Ross also praised Tony Khan as the driving force behind AEW. While Khan is the chairman of the company, this is his first time running a wrestling promotion, but Ross thinks he has the mind of a veteran.
The legendary announcer told Forbes that Khan’s encyclopedic knowledge of wrestling, as well as his lifelong fandom, have been key to the company’s success so far. Ross opened up about how everyone around Khan feeds off his youthful energy.
We’re gonna have a hell of night here Wednesday at ?@watscocenter?
Amazing atmosphere guaranteed! ? pic.twitter.com/LhvW3wXCyE
— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) January 15, 2020
AEW’s approach has worked well so far, and Ross has been key to the company’s growth, given his wealth of experience in various roles throughout his career. However, the Hall of Famer has more of a personal attachment to the company, as he believes it gave him a newfound sense of purpose when he really needed one.
Ross accepted the job following the passing of his wife, and said that he’d been sitting around feeling sorry for himself until he received the call from Khan offering him a job with AEW. While he still provided commentary for other wrestling promotions before joining AEW, Khan’s company reinvigorated his passion.
The veteran announcer also expressed how much fun it is to go to work, as the roster are all young, enthusiastic, and keen to learn, and Ross is someone who can impart his knowledge onto them.
