During the latest edition of his “Grilling JR” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer and AEW commentator Jim Ross commented on Ron Simmons winning the WCW World title in 1992 to become the first Black world champion in the company, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On Ron Simmons winning the WCW World title in 1992 and Bill Watts elevating him into the role: “Ron was a popular guy. We all loved Ron’s legitimate athletic prowess. He owned Florida State University for several seasons. He just had never gotten that opportunity. The one thing about Cowboy [Bill Watts], he didn’t have any issues elevating African-Americans. He had an African-American booker in Ernie Ladd. He had an African-American top babyface in Junkyard Dog. So, Ron becoming the champion under Cowboy’s tutelage or his purview, didn’t surprise me whatsoever. I didn’t know it would come that soon, nor did I know [Simmons’ title run] would be over that early.”
On the impact of Simmons becoming the first Black world champion in the company and the state of race relations in the pro wrestling industry: “It’s the same thing in any racial scenario. We still have a long way to go. In today’s society, we have a long way to go. So, back then, we knew we had a long way to go. Ron Simmons was a step that came late, well past due. An African-American certainly deserved to be the top guy and should have been the top guy long, long before that. I just believe that, again, in today’s society, racial relations, we have a long way to go and hopefully we’ll all live long enough to see better days as to how minorities are treated and represented.”
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(h/t – 411 Wrestling)
