WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently appeared on the Unsanctioned podcast. Here are the highlights (transcript via WrestlingInc.com):
On his past friction with Vince McMahon:
“I wasn’t the easiest guy to manage. The story about McMahon used to give J.R. hell; he did sometimes. But guess what, guys? I deserved it sometimes. I deserved to get my ass taken to the woodshed. I’m not infallible, I’m a human being, I have strong opinions, and sometimes I forget who my audience is. And also, I was like one of those guys that I don’t like now and disagreed with every damn thing you say – if you don’t agree with everything I say, you’re an idiot, and I used to think that.”
On why Shelton Benjamin never became a world champion:
“Part of that is Shelton’s fault. He was making really good money, he had a really good spot on the team, but he wasn’t at the top of the roster, but when he worked with a top guy, he killed it. But when he got his opportunities, maybe they were ill-timed or he was ill-prepared, whatever, he didn’t hit a home run on a mic as he hit in the ring. So we needed to protect him or fix that. But, here’s the thing nowadays, it’s not a 100 percent, but I can say at least 90, if you’re not talking, you’re not getting over.”
On Goldberg’s WWE runs:
“I wanted to get Goldberg right out of WCW, but he was owed so much money by Time Warner in one of those ridiculous deals. Not ridiculous for talent, but for upper-management it’s a little dicey. He was owed so much money, I couldn’t pay him what he was owed. So, he could make more by not doing work, not wrestling. That’s what I would have done too. So, we missed on Goldberg when it was popular and timely, and then we got him and I don’t think we did a very good job of taking care of him, in my view. This last time he came back with Brock, I thought was excellent. He got back in the spotlight, he held his own. He’s not no 25-year-old kid, I don’t care what he looks, he’s still got some miles on him. I didn’t think we did great by Bill [in his first WWE run].”
