Before the WWE SummerSlam 2013 pay-per-view, Vince McMahon declined to renew Jim Ross’ contract after a controversial WWE 2K14 symposium, where Ross made fun of scripts and failed to manage an intoxicated Ric Flair.
During a recent episode of his weekly ‘Grilling JR’ podcast, Ross spoke about his falling out with McMahon and revealed that Vince accused him of being drunk on the job.
Here’s what Good Ol’ J.R. had to say:
“For Vince to say to me, ‘Is this where we are? You used to hang your hat on reliability for talents and so forth. Now what? Is this where we are, JR? Is this it?’. No, I haven’t changed my philosophy on being reliable. I just didn’t do a very good job of being reliable on that day. And the more I talked, the more I buried myself.
I think that we had pretty well come to our conclusion that our run was over, my run was over, and because of this symposium. I don’t know, it’s very frustrating to this very day. This is a topic that I haven’t spent any time reliving. Why would I want to relive it?”
Despite the falling out, JR still considers McMahon a friend:
“Absolutely. Vince did a lot of great things for me. He was very pro-family. He and Jane (Ross’ late wife) had a good relationship. She went to the gym every day, so if you go to the gym at Titan Towers (WWF/WWE headquarters) every day you’re bound to see Vince at some point in time.”
Jim Ross served as a prominent play-by-play commentator and talent relations executive for the World Wrestling Federation (later WWE) from 1993 to 2013. With his iconic voice and unparalleled storytelling ability, Ross became the voice of WWE, calling some of the most memorable moments in professional wrestling history.
His contributions to the company extended beyond the announcer’s desk, as he played a key role in talent development and scouting during his tenure. Jim Ross left an indelible mark on the world of sports entertainment during his 20-year WWF/WWE career.
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