During a recent installment of his podcast, “Grilling JR”, wrestling commentator Jim Ross shed some light on his WWE exit in 1994 and WCW’s apparent disinterest in recruiting him again.
A notable highlight from the podcast involved Ross discussing his refusal to perform a cowboy act before his initial WWE departure. He said, “On reflection, I realize I made too big a deal out of it. It was just costume, television apparel, similar to an actor being given directives by the director on their look or outfit. I had no issue with the hat but rejected the oversimplification of my character.” He later went on to admit that he had a problem with telling Vince McMahon no which he regrets.
When asked about revealing the story behind his departure in an interview, Ross commented, “My aim was to tell my side of the story to set the record straight about certain inaccuracies and false accusations. In hindsight, although I respect Wade Keller as a writer, I wouldn’t have done it to that degree.” Ross mentioned that the interview led to many unintended situations and if he could go back, he would have avoided it.
Commenting on his meeting with Eric Bischoff between his WWE runs, he talked about being told that WCW had no interest in bringing him back. “Bischoff was quite honest, which is something I appreciated. He told me outright that it wasn’t going to happen.” Ross confessed that while he felt he could have been a valuable addition to WCW at that time, it wasn’t meant to be. “We didn’t always get along well, but we have a great relationship now. I’m really happy for his success,” said Ross.