WWE News: Hall Of Famer Discusses Current Relationship With Vince McMahon After Joining AEW
While WWE has reportedly stopped working with some Hall of Famers because of their involvement with All Elite Wrestling, Jim Ross has revealed that there is no bad blood between him and the company. As quoted by 411 Mania, he recently spoke to the 411 Wrestling Interviews podcast and opened up about his current relationship with Vince McMahon.
“Vince and I are friends today, we were friends 25 years ago. I was with him for over a quarter of a century. You don’t dissolve a friendship simply because you lose the employ of one. I wanted to get back on the air, and the WWE at that time did not have a place for me to get back on the air on a regular basis.”
He went on to say that “while some days are better than others” in regard to their friendship, he respects McMahon and is grateful for his time in WWE, as he was paid a lot of money to do his job. He also said that the two of them still communicate through text, even though they don’t interact on a regular basis.
Ross then opened up about how people often conflate the real McMahon with his character. The announcer claimed that McMahon is misunderstood and has faults just like everyone else does, but Ross also believes that people find it easier to criticize the WWE chairman because of his reputation.
During the interview, Ross said that he sent a text to McMahon following last weekend’s WrestleMania pay-per-view. According to Ross, the event was an “artistic miracle” given the circumstances that WWE had to work under. The event took place in an empty Performance Center, with superstars pulling out at the last-minute and planned marquee matches being canceled.
Here. Comes. THE CHAIRMAN! #RAW @VinceMcMahon pic.twitter.com/aVIB3ADZlE
— WWE (@WWE) March 15, 2016
Ross appears to have left WWE on fairly good terms. He said that there was no animosity involved when they went their separate ways, and it doesn’t sound as if the company is harboring a grudge against him for joining their newest rivals.
Ross joined AEW in 2018 and is currently the lead play-by-play announcer on Dynamite and company pay-per-views. He also has a lot of input backstage and has credited Tony Khan and the company for helping him find a purpose in both his personal and professional life.
It remains to be seen when Ross will return to AEW television, however, as he’s been absent in recent weeks due to the current coronavirus pandemic, which has disrupted the entire wrestling industry.
