Jim Ross: Why AEW can't compete with WWE, 'slobberknocker' origin, Vince, Chris Benoit

I mean it's the headlines there's a either gonna put WWE out of business I'm thinking are you crazy yeah that's the ludicrous that doesn't even that's not even remotely feasible that's like saying the XFL is going to supplant the NFL as America's football league it's such a pleasure to sit down with you thank you so much for your time my pleasure good to be with you before you got hired by aew were you looking for you know to get back into the wrestling business or do this full-time oh I'm still in the wrestling business with New Japan WWE yeah okay when WWE contract ended at the end of March this year and then I knew I wasn't going to renew it because I was inactive you know players want to play sure and so I wasn't being utilized for example in 2018 I worked twice I went to Saudi Arabia for about eight hours and I went then I went to New York City to do we're all 25 so I wasn't being utilized in the end the handwriting was on the wall that apparently some of the powers would be there Percy that was too old or couldn't get my job done any longer so I knew that I didn't have a home there in that respect and I'm nothing kind of guy that's okay I'll sit home and take my money that's just not my style that's just the next step you know I said the aging process or getting out of the game process that's just not me so I I wasn't looking but you know I've met Tony come on a couple years ago so we we had a good relationship already established but I didn't have any idea at that time when we met in Long Beach he came out with a new Japan shows he and Alex Marvis that I we would that we would be working together so this work that fate was a good thing for me I say that Tony Kanaan saved my wrestling life and I believe that because I got back in the game I'm doing what I love to do and so let's come to the thing in a nutshell but there's a lot of side stories all that stuff but it's been a really a good blessing for me quite frankly do you feel like you're announcing style is different now that you're in aw+ dancing style should always be predicated by the product you see on the monitor so I'm gonna I want to announce in the most realistic way that I can to help to suspend disbelief as best I can no matter who I'm working for or working with some some products are just more conducive to a sports oriented sports entertainment oriented entity so that's kind of I don't think I'm gonna change a lot the orders from headquarters there with Tony Kahn and his group or they want an athletic presentation so you know there's two sides of that issue I love that concept of an athletic presentation but I got to have canvas you know you got to have that's what you're going to be seeing in the rings athletic competition right and so it's a two-way street but nonetheless my style is not going to change the hell of a lot of fright and matter of fact it might be a little bit retro in some areas but the pace the tenor feel that doesn't go away that doesn't change but a lot of what's going on in WWE is they're not even calling what's in the ring they're not calling what's a law I think it's a real to note for the viewer that if you're seeing action there's a movement and your eyes are watching this movement and your brain is prostates processing what you're seeing then it becomes an massive disconnect when the Nasser's are telling back story while action is ongoing yeah that'd be nothing different then in Show buck on Fox for talking about a back story or what what around a guy got drafted in or what his birthday is or how many brothers and sisters he has while the ball is in play yeah it's so ludicrous to even say that because that would never happen but why does it have why have we allowed that to happen in in wrestling is beyond me the the words they've got to support the audio of the audio is going to support the video quite frankly yeah and sometimes in TV wrestling and a lot of companies that doesn't happen so it's not I don't think it's a good thing it's a bad trend sure I believe quite frankly did you need to reach out to WWE when your contract was done and say I just want to let you guys know I'm planning to go to yeah I did it I didn't know I didn't know I was going okay I knew I wasn't going to return mm-hmm I wasn't going to have another year of inactivity at my age these are moments that are fleeting in my view without sounding you know to melancholy I just felt like that I had to find other things dude and I had you know podcasting is a big thing I'm writing a second book you know I'm I'm a member now the son of contract recently the son of Schuster's speaker's bureau Wow so I had plenty of things on the table to do but the wrestling part of getting back an interesting company was not really a high priority I thought I'd my wrestling ship had sailed unfortunately and I wasn't happy about it but where else is what else they're gonna go do right and then the tony kahn and aew came along and that's been a blessing because now I'm back in the hunt as I said and I'm happy yeah and I get a chance to contribute I get a chance to platform some of these young kids who negative Reena any time we do TV it's a I feel like I thought Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption teaching Andy how to get out of prison but it's these kids are if they're dying for information sure and because I had some luck was recruiting some good talent good guys they they want to know what traits I saw sometimes or what made you like the rock the first time in many or whatever so it's just a it's a fun thing it's not coaching I'm like I like coach you know that's probably what I would have known if I had not got into broadcasting interesting business with helping out this young talent you were you were the guy who came up with these amazing nicknames that really helped talent get over lucky the Bionic redneck the game or the what are some of your other favorites well the Texas rattlesnake oh yeah officers podcast this week yeah well I did Austin's podcast it aired this way yeah it aired this week yeah we he said I got a thank you first yeah Texas rattlesnake I said you did sell a lot of shirts with that was quite a few so you know it's good the you know the the great one was the name that Rock thought about and they're not throw out there and it worked did he got approval though I think for Muhammad Ali or majalis that's family didn't he the great the great one was Gretzky oh that's right and so the Muhammad Ali was everybody's know athlete that I it was not at all what would always sure quite frankly sown I had my experience with him so it's all great I spent three days with him one time in New Orleans I'm sure - sweet he came down for mid-south wrestling Oh get down to the Superdome so we got to be buddies and to the steps you can be buddies yeah I like that he's a legend you know just you know it's hard to believe you're talking to him sometimes it's pretty cool so I don't I don't feel like in the era of WWE right now you could just throw out a nickname without someone's approved oh and we could yeah a lot of myself is very organic yeah in feel you know the Texas rattlesnake was I who said then I said later on the rattlesnakes don't make good corporate pets you know things like that it just it's a field deal you'll steal asking about that you know I didn't write anything down to say because that's Besant like the wrestlers today spending endless hours seemingly ongoing over a five minute match or eight minute match or a ten minute master or whatever a match it's that memorization of your act not knowing that you're what you're committing to memory by the way may not work if that doesn't work you get the crowd flipped then what do you do well you got to go to plan B so then the question is do you have a plan B yeah and that's kind of well think about that I just it's got to be a field thing for me and you know like I felt I got in my rhythm the best rhythm with this company I think in the middle of the all end in the Vegas this year but gobbler nothing doesn't work with him sorry I don't know nothing yeah and because we had the Kody match and Dustin match yeah which is off the charts it might have been a little graphic for some people could be but nonetheless it was an amazing performance on a great story yeah and then you have the two the best tag teams in the entire world argue the best tag team in the world in your books and in the the lucha brothers they have great chemistry someone's seamless it's a little bit like watching Flair to Steamboat it's just there's no scenes there's no it's just smooth flow that's so real and you forget lost in the story and then we close the show with the Jericho no mega which was amazing and then you have Jon Moxley sauna and I didn't know Jon my options even the building no sort of God so when he came out it was like well there's real cool moments for guiding my role that you can really get into something because you're not you to not precondition to yourself okay then I'm gonna hack when John Walker comes out we're I'm going to say what we're going to do all that time is it's waste of time because you're gonna do what at least I'm gonna do when it feels right that's sending arrogant it's a moment I'm a fan still a fan so as long as I'm still a fan I can retrieve that emotion then we're good to go so that's why they hired you whoa some reason you know I mean they had to fulfill their AARP a commitment so I'm not real sure but nonetheless I'm sure so brother did do do you not know the finishes to matches sometimes I hear them in passing in a conversation but everybody there knows including Cody knowing how to meet with every hour and a half two hours wherever before every show is it during a week he knows I don't want to know Wow because I'd rather react organically under the react in a real way and that might not be the way you want to do it with some broadcasters here in less experience you may not trust their judgment part of me you may not chest their drug judgment yet and I think in my situation least you can I think you could you could trust me I would think so with 45 years experience or ease in w/e of Vince being in your ear or someone being in your ear commentators ears telling you guys what to say who's in your ear nae w nobody at all no the Keith Mitchell is in my ear to count me in and out of the segment sure that's that's pretty common in TV normal stuff yeah after that if there's if he has a suggestion it can you mention mention Chicago mentioned Memorial our Labor Day weekend mentioned something he that was that's how quick it is Mitch in Chicago but but hardly nothing and it allows us i've told these other guys this you know you guys have not worked in a system as have i where your alpha male in your life is is telling you what to say and and sometimes you know we all make mistakes and judgment but i don't work well that way i can't be creative in you know and enlighten and intrigue and add all the things you want to add if you're yelling at me because there's then this man i how i got to process this information process that's the most powerful minute and my business life amid my personal life yelling and screaming at me on occasion does it take you out of your game of course of course it does yeah and you know i don't as didn't like it and mick foley didn't like it and literally they couldn't handle it this wasn't for them and i don't i can understand that i just grew up with the father that's much like vents very demanding the very alpha male ish then I worked for cowboy Bill Watts who may be the most alpha male of the whole damn crude you know 6-3 300 pounds and he he was accomplished street fighter he'd like to push him he's a bully and then I said well I got two events went the going through dusty who was really easy to work with and the only Anderson who wasn't something I got the defense I was battle tested man you can't say much was gonna piss me off I it'll piss me off a little bit but nonetheless something effect when I work we did a show one time where I can't remember where it was when Raw Lawler and I were out there broadcasting in Vince says to me to say something and it was ridiculous and I didn't say it and during the time he told me to say it and I was holding out on him he was screaming like crazy and you're still trying to call him out oh yeah lot of television in my ear you know god damn and I said okay alright so bottom line is I didn't say it and then we go to commercial break on my headset and the real hushed tones like he's doing golf you don't hate jr. yeah did you hear me to tell you to say it yes sir well it's a goddamn good thing he didn't because they've been wrong Wow well a little did wrong we already talked about this he forgot we already talked about this matter and we weren't going to go there yeah everybody's forgotten because all the hubbub and the the traffic around him it's admit he's like he's like the honey in there and there's a lot of guys that work there are the bees they swarm him cuz they want to be seen they want to FaceTime with the chief so I didn't say it but he and we laughed about after the show but you know I tell you're slipping and you know you forgot this and then so but we had our relationship isn't much better than people perceive it to be you know I didn't like some of this taste and creative that affected me to be honest with you there's some over that thought was a waste of time and I didn't care to be have you involved in skits and get beat up it wasn't a beating getting beat up part I didn't look like well would you like it if you were winning well no I didn't want to be doing it I'm not good at it like when you were in the kiss-my-ass Club the look on your face told the whole story yeah well you got over us it was discussed over disgusting it was a healed move and disgusting of course the strategic thing for Vince was he picked Oklahoma City but my family was there in attendance not having no any idea that tonight dad's gonna kiss mr. McMahon's ass yeah his face is gonna be driven into his glutes so but I saw some of those opportunities I just didn't like and allow that as ego driven we also you I thought that you know I thought that we're getting beyond that and who were getting over so if I when I got the I remember getting well I got beat up I got nailed by the Undertaker that's cool Kurt Angle did something to me Vince I kissed his ass Bischoff broke a cinder block over my head I had to put Michael Cole over I can't remember I don't know jack so I got me an ankle lock got a little carried away it's like they would pick on you for easy heat well I was over yeah well that's the hallways that's it that's the deal and without sounding egocentric the character jr. was over to the that to the audience so a villain a he'll doing something nefarious to jr. was not going to be well accepted yeah which is the exact emotion you want to solicit from a villain yeah but I just got my deal was you know not till creativeness that you know you guys worried since so much time trying to figure out what Vince is gonna like so you can write something he likes and you know he likes bathroom humor and he likes jr. being made a fool off or utilizing these storylines if you didn't have if you had your head out of your ass which they told me I have my head and I asked the doctor how nice care you would have talent that we're over you know you you would have you would have talents that that were over on their own that didn't need me to be there rub yeah and it's it's a fragile dynamic when you're TV announcer is one of the key components to get they are heels a rub yeah and that's what it was so it was it I didn't I didn't feel like we were at helping the other talents all those guys and gals sitting in the back they weren't doing a damn thing they're gonna go on the road and try to sell tickets make more money provide for their families all the good stuff that we talked about they're sitting there and my fat ass is in the ring it made no sense to me yeah I didn't need there you go rush I didn't need the love I didn't need to rub it in any of that yeah I can let me sit there and describe it to your soundtrack and uh so that was my disconnect there so are you saying that you don't want to be part of storylines and ain't no no I have no no I'm gonna do it I'm gonna be some interviews sure some sit downs which I love do it and they've helped get the town over Shawn Spears interview all right yeah and they'll be more coming down the road but I don't have any desire at this stage I don't there's no reason for it what do you go with it what do you do with it what are you every angle on television has got to lead to something my angle with me involved is it leaving anything yeah we're not gonna have a match I'm not doing it and it's not 67 years old I kind of done this stuff sure so let somebody else do it so with all that said you said you still have a whole bunch more wrestling left in you how long do you think you can do this for oh so I can do this for uh I follow the principles of the the great broadcasters that you know Keith Jackson became a friend of mine and you know he worked until he's he called his shots he got out what he wanted to get out somebody asked this question the other day so what are you gonna do here throw your contracts up you'll be 70 I said well if I'm smart I'm gonna try to get a renewal I'll try to keep working in our in my role as long as I can continue to recognize situations and scenarios of my experience my I know the game it's like being the skinniest kid at fat camp I know the game of pro wrestling yeah and so I hope I could contribute for years to come because I'm not buying into what you got to retire you know you you know the used to be the old days week you get your social security at 62 or you can get Medicare at 65 now and all of them is terrible really it's there's no there's no really there's no great reward to get to draw your social security in our country these days the governor's done a real good job of screwing up the common guys and living in and in existence maybe they'll good thing about that is that people like you or becoming entrepreneurs and going on their own and dinner stuff yeah and that's kind of where we are right now so I like that quite frankly Chris but golly it's it's it's challenging so much goal is to be do a good enough job in the next three years and this is gonna let me see this company grow from my franchise or a I guess you would say a expansion team yeah to a Super Bowl contender and in the and but the issue that a lot of folks are saying are you gonna you know I mean it's thoughts that had lines it's a either gonna put WWE out of business I'm thinking are you crazy yeah ludicrous that doesn't even that's not even remotely feasible that's like saying the XFL is going to supplant the NFL as America's football league they're not but they don't have to to make a profit sure that the aew brand doesn't have to have do anything with WWE affected be affected by it one way or the other all we've got to worry about ourselves yeah we've got to get better we could get better everything we do and that has nothing to do with paying attention with the other guys cross street or doing with a big yard a big dog well I think people don't realize that you can be fans of both we could watch Raw and then we can watch aew we can watch Smackdown and enjoy it all out great yeah I think people seem to think like you're either with us or you're against silly wrestling fans should band together and promote wrestling because we've got four years we've all had this up field pull of being a wrestling fan oh you watch that stuff yeah I was a little kid I'll get teased about all times of course luckily I was a decent athlete and I was I was I had you know I was a bigger kid than a lot of my buddies small Oklahoma high school so a lot of them give me a pass because I was on the football team the basketball team you know president student body blah blah blah so they accepted me because I wasn't a nerd but because they looked at wrestling as being a product for people with too much time on their hands quite frankly yeah and so I got I got a pass them in but I've had anybody watching the wrestling and they were watch wrestling and their family sometimes our families are the ones are the worst because my dad would say well you watch that oh my parents said the same thing everyone think everybody's fair I think but what so the deal is but what's it gonna what's it hurting I also watched John Wayne movies knowing he's not a real cowboy I really do but I get lost in the character of the kiss presentation yeah wrestling's not doesn't drive you to drinking and then drive you to drugs there's a Mickey via you know abuser and nothing yeah it's just it's a fictional entity unlike any other television that sadiq fiction will show it's just that these guys are real athletes they do their own stunts and they they have no offseason yeah there's a lot of amazing things that these gentlemen and ladies do that makes me proud to still be affiliated with it so it's a it's a it's a labor of love from me Chris quite frankly I think people will think you're most famous call is Mick Foley going off the cell but what's your favorite call hmm hard to say that's like saying the kind of things you're sure your daughters are your favorite the older one of the younger one do you have a maybe a few oh yeah you know I'm sure there's some answers there's some ashes that I called a trying to think there was a massive hack at WCW dr. death and Terry Gordy against the Steiners I thought was amazing and I loved that man hard-hitting illogical mano-a-mano the guys knew that they're in for an interesting night and they look they look forward to that because most tag teams that dealt with Doc and Gordie in the Steiners always had the reservations that they're gonna work very firm very stiff and be very physical and this is not gonna be an easy night but they were at the office and so that's that's kind of what we see as I saw of that deal yeah I love that one I loved WrestleMania 13 Austin and Bret yeah I thought was that outstanding still do love that one I love there's a Shawn when Shawn came back from his hiatus you know we finally convinced him to come back you know I want you to come back in the locker room and be a role model even if he didn't want to wrestle because we were paying him a lot of money at that time I think I 750 a year and he was and he's healing isn't from his back in serenus ruffled feathers and all kinds of things so that was Sean and Sean came back it was amazing to me they didn't miss a beat yeah he had a bad haircut I remember - boy look at haircutter where the hell it was but he showed his greatness yeah he didn't miss a beat and he in the Hunter had a amazing man shot that was one of my favorite matches to call you know the Foley under tech of mash was another one I didn't know the finish I had no idea gonna be thrown off the cell what if he landed on you know what if he died that's another thing so yeah I said what it wasn't good it was it was a the WB and we all dodged a bullet that night if somebody asked me before the show if this is your call what you do that would you approve this deal for Mick I don't say no yeah because I didn't see any margin for error yeah there's no precedent for this move and you know you got a a table and then the the floor the concrete floors what breaks your fall it's a pretty sudden stop yeah so that was another one that was a good that was a memorable obviously we had to change Lawler not changed on the fly with our psychology when rock and Hogan saw Russell in the 18 that's my favorite match of all time till I was there and your call on it oh good I loved it because it was so evident that the crowd had turned on rock and were cheering Hogan yeah you know when they were exchanging blows and it's booze for the rockers for Hogan yeah it's actually out of your game too because that's not the road you were traveling yeah as a broadcaster and so we called an audible and went right I'm about our business of seamlessly yeah and there was a really an amazing experience so I also thought that the Undertaker Shawn Michaels match at the first hell in the cell they had was really terrific and memorable it's funny how a lot of these giving matches they call them are being utilized but they're not there the wrinkles added to them are too limited so so you go so what I'm saying basically is you go back and look go all the way back to the first Hell in a Cell it's hard to say that the any other hell in the cell was better than the first one maybe it's because it was new I don't know but also it's because you had to Hall of Fame guys and they're doing thing so I think that some of these we needed some freshening freshening up quite frankly but III George almonds matches yeah the attitude arrow is amazing - we had a lot of real good talents like a lot of mind recruited you know we had that one class I love this talking about this class because it's like a Hall of Fame class that we signed in one class John Cena we signed Randy Orton we signed who's got big ol country boy from South Dakota named Brock Lesnar we signed dave bautista he's now a major movie star god bless him he's a good dude and then in the best athlete of the group was Sheldon measurement Wow what a group so that was our that was and that was a deal and they all got to work they all were in crew rock legend became the foreman of the ring crew because he could drive a pickup truck better anybody else I don't think people can picture Brock Lesnar building a ring little you did Wow oh yeah oh they all did and they swept they cleaned up they've paid their dues and and not too big they weren't being hazed these are shores that we had to do that we didn't have the budget to hire a janitor yeah so you guys are gonna do this yeah and if you collaborative effort you're gonna be out of here in no time and they were gonna give them some responsibility let them know that this is still still a free ride you're not on scholarship here you know unless you're sucking it I paid less nor more money than any rookie that we ever signed and because if anybody could see he was obviously can't-miss sure one of those guys unless he imploded we weren't gonna have any issues with him getting over oh yeah let's see this was this if his social skills were not evolved to some degree where you get along with people and that was an issue he didn't like traveling so I used to talk about you got traded there's a trade off your pal we get your ass on the farm you can farm all the rest your life but you're not gonna make this kind of money yeah you want this kind of money there's gotta be some sacrifices made along the way including time invested when I tweeted out that I was going to be interviewing you I got a barrage of by God's how do you feel that that's like always going to be attached to your name it's alright something yeah something to you know it's either that or slobberknocker or you know you got beat like a government mule restaurant-quality ass with all that stuff you know just that's just that was my tougher than a $2.00 dude oh yeah that's definitely ours today so hey I I'll say the ice that on TV toward the end in my in my run with these little gifts are coming up yeah yeah and there's all kinda I get all kind of mistake pitchers yes burnt and charred little thin ones a bit all the thick ones or whatever so it's a people enjoy that and you know the we're my best selling t-shirts at pro wrestling tees calm is they killed it yes that Mick Foley shirt I got a buddy mine Orlando Brown plays right tackle for the Baltimore Ravens he's right or left half oh he's a starter oh you kid great kid and Orlando where's that t-shirt under his pads during the games Wow they killed it that's his burn said he wants to use the guy he's the offensive lineman you're not gonna get my quarterback no matter what happens so there's a fun there's another fun deals but the sovereign rockers far the most of course that's far the most uh whatever problem where did you come up with that it's a no it's an old a Southern football term that was applicable and when when the games were covered by the newspaper print was a print game for radio got him in big-time and these players didn't wear face masks on their helmets so their faces were unprotected and they slobber was the liquid spit still and so if you got hit the face hard enough there we go the spittle would fly Wow so slobberknocker and that's where so that it's just an old terminus you know I heard this was like a junior high you know you guys ready for this week's it would be a slobberknocker know that what does that mean so I figured it out yeah and started then when I got podcasting I started using and also all those they just became a little handle so it made me different yeah and you know to my different being different was investing in a curse I always thought that my accent cut me cut me from the herd I sounded different when I got the bills palsy which people can see I can't smile and I haven't know I can't whistle because they can't pucker and that was a blessing because in some ways because it made me even gave my diction a little bit more of a uniqueness hmm but for television executives it wasn't my friend you know the fact that you know I'm gonna round face guy chubby guy with southern accent can't smile he doesn't long on television says who says you said say somebody that is looking at a you're not looking at a focus group because there's no focus group in the country's gonna say that junior doesn't belong in the wrestling business of course it's just not going to happen I sounds egocentric me to say but that's just perfect our fans are that way yeah they give a damn they care you know we did a show here in Jacksonville oh and I got another one coming up Philadelphia Rochester we got we're gonna book a lot of liesl yeah these are the live podcast a lot yeah al oh they are yeah groans jr. what's the one question people always want to ask you when you do that lucky you did what's my favorite match yeah or who's your favorite wrestler they said sometimes they asked more profound questions I enjoy getting into like we just had a podcast regarding vengeance Oh for the favor here in since 2004 and that was a big big show for Chris Benoit and most people in the last few years have been reluctant to even mention his name because of how he lived the last 48 hours of his life and I'm not I'm not underscoring that as something beautiful it's not it's horrible worst thing I've ever encountered in my career you a little heart dying in front of my very eyes in front of me was the Christian walking because I just never saw that coming I consider him a good friend and I helped him with his neck injury and we got him the great surgery paid him while he was off took care of his needs his family's needs he got all this money even though we couldn't work it's the right thing to do for us and we did the right thing and so then I don't know what happened you know I don't know if it was CTE there's some Rhian stories sure we'll never well nothing all we know is that my friend Nancy his wife dead the little warden Daniel is dead and then Chris course committed suicide now and to have him to even remotely think of a father murdering his son you know it's bad enough to think of a husband murdering his wife that's bad enough obviously but to take the life of your only your only son your little son with this lady it was just unfathomable I couldn't I couldn't get it I couldn't get my head around it so we talked about that and that was a good show yeah but the questions that you direct your question I have somebody I asked about every other show at least said Chrisman walk long in the Hall of Fame and I say no because and if he were here he would say no and here's why the reason why is because Kristen while going to the Hall of Fame would be a major major distraction yes it would not be about the great messes he out of Japan or Mexico or in Calvary or in WWE or WCW anywhere else it would be about murder suicide so that because the focal point again and I just don't didn't I don't think that was here and I know if I believed Kris I could talk to him right now he'd say Jo you're right yeah I don't know he said it was that kind of guy we don't know what set him off that day but that was a that was two days in the life of a 40 cent of god this forty something years old it's just not his demeanor yeah we don't know why he did it but we talked about that and so the vanwall question comes up every now and then various forms but there's just there's just a the audiences are so smart they're so in tune that they're questions that have come better and better here shows go on because there's so much more information flow there's there's content like you're you're creating there's all these guys that the Meltzer's and the killers and all these guys got their their their businesses for the cover of wrestling and mike johnson and pro wrestling insider does a great job jason pal there's all these guys do really really good stuff so now the fans have more content to sample yeah so you know you can you can take a flight and you can you know if you've got Wi-Fi you can you can catch up with all the rest in business ya gonna do some flight right I do it all the time yeah me too me too so and you can follow your Twitter your social media stuff yeah that's another thing it's a big deal you know you I saw you're getting questions about this discussion yeah and I'm curious about it too but if ever when I asked whether what's what are new questions I haven't been haven't had yet yeah well in your backstage role as a senior advisor are you still scouting talent for aw I yes I make I make recommendations I see talents that I I am I've become inquisitive of okay and I make suggestions to Cody and his team about talents you know their talents I like that I would like to see work there and not just because I foresee them being good in ring performers but the fact that they're gonna enter the locker room with no poison sure you know that's one of the reasons I worked so hard to Harvick Foley as I knew that when Mick Foley got in he'd be a positive influence to our locker room it would be a good role model you know he's done he's done a drug guy when a drunk you know he abuses I don't think he ever abuses his own body nobody took but you know you get a guy like that in he's patient enough to take time with the young guys who's seen him on TV you think you know and they look up to it well they sure as they should and so he was the kind of guy that could come in there and and contribute to that locker room morale but that's to me is a big component here I don't care how many you can do how much high flying you can do and you know you can do 450 and you can do this you can do that but can you work can you perform can you make me want to watch you more other than those indiscriminate moments on the high trapeze flying trapeze whatever yeah you know so but just so I think that there's guys that I'd like to see here because they they're great athletes and they can perform but also because they'll fit very much compatibly into our locker room community which has a lot of diverse personalities and a lot of young guys you know I was talking to George janella the kind of even our show last Friday night here in Jacksonville and I didn't realize he'd been the Indies for 14 years 14 years it's a testament to him how dedicated it how much he loves to wrestle do you think he's one of the breakout stars of aw it could be who do you think who's on your radar as being a breakout star mjf far atop the list yes people are familiar with the interview I did with him he's it's quite the character oh yeah he loves it he loves being a villain yeah and his sharp witted and he's a tough old guy - he's I told I said this on the air a couple of weeks ago in order him to harden our land in Daytona that he'd remind me of a young Paul Heyman mm-hmm and I worked with a young faulty man I gave young Paul Heyman his break to get him on national television this is my broadcast partner and the WCW booking committee thought I was crazy but they were celebrating because I took him off their hands they had no longer had the booking room managing oh he'll be my guy and I don't regret that whatsoever he was a great partner and he's still doing good now with his new role yeah so we'll see how that works out well I want to be respectful of your times so I have just one more question for you as we wrap things up if someone comes to you and says I want to do what you're doing I want to have the career that Jim Ross had what's the advice you have we're an up-and-coming play-by-play commentator practice to get reps do get get a microphone in your hand our headset on your head volunteer don't look at your these broadcasting gigs as paydays because there's likely not gonna be any paydays in them to any degree maybe lunch I told something I got I read around Fort Smith Arkansas every Wednesday night at the Jimmy lot Sports Arena from Towson Avenue I did enough for most of that to remember that freshman a lie but I reffering down their house is really bad and the other town in Winston I was in Baton Rouge from Baton Rouge got the big stars and and Fort Smith got the leftovers and I got paid that night in hot dogs oh yeah I read all Lilly I was only referee there yep put the ring up take the ring down take my dues and I got two hot dogs and so then I said well can I get a coke he said yeah that would be a 50 Cent's so I woulda lost fifty City yeah okay that night by buying a coke and on the first of all things I said hell with that I don't have a friend of mine that sent you some stuff and asked for some advice and I'll never forget this as a fan you said to him make sure every nearfall counts yeah and I will never forget that now when I watch matches you'll interrupt whatever you're saying to go oh in a nearfall we almost got him oh you don't know this you don't do this right and I'd love that yeah a lot of guys that's the that's the story we talked earlier about announcer doing back story yeah while action is ongoing yeah that Joe Buck illustration earlier yeah you just you hear it all the time all the time back story and in WCW wvs case it's not working it's great that I understand that they've got all this money and it's great I'm happy for the better WWE does the trickle-down theory will make it mean better it results for all of us in in when Andre Hogan fought and a million three the mid-south business picked up because the awareness of the product became paramount every local network affiliate wanted to do a wrestling story especially the NBC affiliates for cause in DC was so gangbusters on from money Saturday night's main event and resting in general and WV wrestling so we just tagging along and it worked we we did we had one run better years because other success WWE was having it's a trend that's all it is yeah so wrestling was trending thanks to WWE's promotional machine and what they have booked with laundry and Hoban the fact they're gonna run a huge stadium at WrestleMania 3 always first and it was it became a topic of discussion and so we took advantage of that so all sudden and we got all of our guys on all of our local TVs in the mid-south doing interviews and showing their personality and so all of a sudden then I started getting more from personal appearances for them all these things that started coming about in our Venice picked up then you would have radio stations contacted us to say hey we'd like to do promotion with you for the live event well of course yeah so it helped us so the better WWE does not they do great don't they have record years the better all the rest of us are in the rest of Minnesota do it's important that that I say in my role the what WV does or does not do what they say or they don't say it's irrelevant to me in the standpoint that I'm not gonna miss them the air anyway I don't know I'm not gonna miss endeavor W in the air in a negative way a positive way no way no reason to you yeah so and I don't think I don't think we should engage in that stuff you know there's every now and you'll get a little bit a little banner little hang grenade here and there guys just can't resist themselves sure but it's just it's a it's a relational effort we need to focus we and AWA need to focus on what aw is doing nothing more nothing less that should be our entire focus to make this brand great yes we can some of these young kids go there you know Chris and they're gonna be good but we don't know how good they're gonna be and they don't know how good they're gonna be in matches like their show in Jacksonville the one in Daytona are important measuring sticks to see what some of these guys have got yeah and now we're starting to see our heel and maybe face for office are starting to slowly evolve and once they get the the right Jersey on everybody it'll be a lot easier to watch but you know who to who you want to cheer or don't do or don't and everyone has a role you got to have a role the second broadcast team with Excalibur and Alex Marvis you know alex is the Jay Glazer kind of guy give you information backs the backstory of thinks along those lines and xcalibur is a very brilliant wrestling mind he does a great job I really enjoy one's great oh yeah he sounds terrific so he's our wrestling expert cuz he was a former restaurant sure so we will be talking strategy and holes and while this works and things of that nature and then I'm going to do what I do so it's if we can't find our role in stay in our lane yeah so to speak will be we're gonna get better we will our goal is to the point point on in Chicago at August 31st and then take that momentum right into October when we premiere on TNT and that's a difference maker yeah that's the deal where nobody's really talking about it and they talk about since those legs like you're gonna take you're gonna fit W out of business stuff it's so stupid I'm embarrassing people say that I've been interviewed by guys so you know what how much of a how much of a dent you thinking for their business not a damn bit yeah are you kidding you think the XFL team in Dallas coached my friend Bob Stoops is gonna put a dent in the NFL not one bit but he didn't have to that's not his job it's jobs to make this team competitive and entertaining and sell tickets yeah and TV get TV ratings so it's don't work formula well once again I want to be respectful of your time and I never doubt thank you for this on behalf of wrestling fans everywhere thank you for the memories over the years you're the soundtrack to my childhood and now you're the soundtrack to whatever age I am now so yeah well appreciate it thanks for being uh thanks for being a good listener today I I had too much coffee I think this morning oh my god this was incredible that we got a lot of different we could honestly talk all day but say you've got a job to do you're talking to whole day so yeah you're right I'm gonna uh it's a good to be a good night it's a really a unique venue this as a fans will see ya doing it from an amphitheater yeah there and I know they worked all night getting this that site ready because if there were before when I last talked over there the production editing Friday night we were four hours behind schedule because it's just gonna it's had to be revamped to do the ring and well because there's a stage here yeah which is different yeah and some people thought we're gonna put the ring on the stage and or not that's for the announcers are gonna be okay the rings will be in the pit down there okay cool so we'll see you should look really cool also yesterday you know in the line of the you know ticket sales I think we have less than two hundred tickets are available hello a sprinkle here there and gone and kind of a smattering so the ticket sales are good it'll look great and of course the show in Chicago has already sold out so yeah you know we're looking good and they'll soon be announcing their the TVs are booked for pretty much the rest of 2019 Wow so those venues will be released and even comes a strategic thing you know it's like isn't it ironic that WWE decided to put their evolve show on their network alive against us coincidental in the course now we know it's not coincidental yeah so you say well why would they do that because of the big dog in the yard and they can't and that's a Millie mentality you take liberties and so and Frances has to decide which one they want to watch and thank God through all the ways of replays and streaming this and that you can depend watch both oh yeah on the same night that's true so I don't know what they expected that how they were gonna hurt us or that deal but they obviously didn't do it because of we had nothing to do a w that's where you get offended when you know you're being zoned yeah come on man come on so what are you afraid of our little operation or not it's a pissant company I believe oh yeah I heard it's just saying yeah fish that Lily sure good that's a great way to end a gym thank you again okay really appreciate it all right Chris thank you seeing you guys Wow thank you so much for watching this entire video and for sitting with me at the Learning Tree that is Jim Ross if you've watched this long and you haven't subscribed yet please it's right down there I just got this awesome new graphic made sound effect at all that doesn't make you want to subscribe I don't know what will but seriously that was an incredible conversation it was so great to be able to listen to Jim Ross tell those amazing stories I could have talked to him all day but he had a heart out of 11 a.m. it's the morning a fight for the fallen as we record this right now we're in Jacksonville and he had to get out at 11 o'clock so we had to you know we had to end things there although I'm sure we could have talked about a whole bunch of other things so awesome to hear his stories about things that happen in the past WCW oh and hard Chris Benoit Mick Foley all those great stories scouting the rock how cool is that also really cool to hear what he thinks - aw can be where they are right now and where they're gonna be in three years when his contracts up and hopefully they renew his contract Jim Ross could seriously do this forever and he's the voice of my childhood the soundtrack to my childhood the soundtrack to yours as well so like I said there at the end of the interview a big THANK YOU on behalf of all of us for the memories and it's interesting to hear his take on WWE and aw you know comparing it to the XFL and the NFL and as of right now in 2019 he has a point maybe if we revisit this discussion in two three five ten years whatever happens to be it might be a different discussion so every time I do this in a hotel room I show you the view so we're in Jacksonville and here you go there's there's not much to show you we're facing the opposite way of where the arena is where we're doing this we're doing fight for the fall is that a place called Daly's place which is actually right next to tii TIAA Bank field which is where the Jacksonville Jaguars play it's actually the other side of the hotel but if you're watching fight for the foam you'll see it you'll see exactly the setup that he was talking about and thank you again oh and this is the new collar and elbow shirt I know you guys will comment on that and if you want to check this out or buy one I use my code CV v10 the links in the description to get that so guys thank you you're awesome and you've been asking how many interviews I've done this year I believe this is number 58 so we crushed that specific goal of 50 interviews in 2019 so the new goal now is 200 interview 200 trees that was rather ambitious 100 interviews by the end of 2019 so thank you guys so much for the support and there'll be more from fight for the Fallen coming up all weekend long

Channel: Chris Van Vliet

Views: 341,546

Rating: 4.9301071 out of 5

Keywords: jim ross, jim ross aew, jim ross hell in a cell, jim ross interview, jr interview, jim ross kiss my ass club, jim ross mick foley, jim ross podcast, aew interview, aew, all elite wrestling, shoot interview, chris van vliet, chris van vliet interview, wwe, wwe interview, jim ross slobberknocker, aew tnt, aew broadcast team, Chris Benoit WWE, Vince McMahon Jim Ross, Fight for the fallen, mjf interview, maxwell jacob friedman, jim ross highlights

Id: lWeDvHntFpk

Length: 52min 7sec (3127 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 13 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/rush247]

Great interview, love seeing him back. I know I might get a few downvotes but I agree with what he says about AEW putting WWE outta business, this doesn't have to be a competition and they're still too new. Looking forward to catching his podcast later, you can find it on Spotify, also can't believe he mostly got let go from WWE because of his age and how his Bell's Palsy affected his speech. When it happened back in 2000 whatever I just couldn't watch anymore, it was too different and boring without him, he made the show for me. I'm sure a lot of you feel the same way, he's the reason I'm watching, not Jericho (sorry you're not getting that thank-you from me) or Cody or anybody else.