• Old School WWF Manager Would Have Celebrated His Birthday
Today would have been the 73rd birthday of Old School WWF Manager Frenchy Martin (Real name: Jean Gagné).
The French-Canadian used to wrestle during the 70s & 80s and he was still an active professional wrestler when he joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1986.
In late 1987, he became the manager of fellow French-Canadian Dino Bravo, whom he managed till April 1989, when “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart became Bravo’s new manager.
In between, Frenchy Martin also managed Jos LeDuc during LeDuc’s short WWF run in 1988.
By mid-1990, he retired and left the WWF for good, only to become the head booker for IWA in Puerto Rico.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY & † REST IN PEACE
July 19, 1947 – October 21, 2016
• Jim Ross Calls Out WWE For Wanting To Get Rid Of Him & Being Disrespectful Back In The Day
While speaking on Grilling JR, WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross discussed WWE being disrespectful to him and wanting to get rid of him in the 2000s.
Below is what he said:
“I found out as the process went along but in the beginning, I didn’t know. I didn’t know that I was that ugly or that old. I’m not buying into that bullsh*t. Nobody ever told me, ‘JR you’re getting too old’. They’re making themselves vulnerable to an age discrimination lawsuit.
It was just another bump in the road. I could’ve easily quit and say I’m not going to be in this wrestling business anymore, bullsh*t. Getting rid of JR as the voice of RAW after all the success and years of productivity that we had. And my loyalty meant sh*t.”
He said that WWE called Mike Goldberg (former UFC commentator) to replace him on RAW, but it didn’t work. He mentioned that people told Mike fans wouldn’t accept him because they got used to JR.
“He turned them down. Which ironically got my phone ringing again. They wanted Goldberg for a big show in Dallas and he turned them down, so I got a phone call asking ‘What are you doing Monday?’
It was just disrespectful. Poor communication and too many sycophants surrounding the boss to change his mind about the team. JR and the [Jerry Lawler] King were the solid components always on RAW, there was stability there.
2007 was a bittersweet year. My Hall of Fame induction was a way for me to say goodbye. Todd Grisham was promised my job that Fall. [He was] younger, he did Sportscenter, he’s exactly what they were looking for. He confided with me that it was uncomfortable for him because we were working together on SmackDown. That was the plan, get rid of JR again before the end of the year.
The reaction I got in Chicago when I was announced I was going into the Hall of Fame blew [Vince] McMahon and Kevin Dunn away. They put the brakes on me being derailed. I knew it was inevitable and I knew it was coming. It’s going to happen, and it’s going to happen when Vince wants it to happen.”
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