In a recent episode of his podcast “Grilling JR”, Jim Ross, a WWE Hall of Famer, discussed the significant decisions made in WWE back in 1999, including the signings of wrestlers Chris Jericho and Paul Wight, also known as The Big Show.
Ross detailed his thoughts on recruiting Jericho and Wight: “In my view, i believed it was a major plus for us because Chris had plenty of experience. He was a seasoned wrestler and comprehended all the subtle intricacies of achieving and sustaining stardom in the world of professional wrestling. Definitely, one of my best acquisitions. I can still recall Vince’s amazement at how phenomenal Jericho was and just what an amazing acquisition he was for us. He has continued to be a valuable asset to the company for a considerable amount of time and has been tremendously lucrative for the company, similar to what he’s currently doing with AEW. He’s still wrestling quite frequently, which is a part of his career I really appreciate. He’s never refused a match and had a clear enthusiasm for wrestling with anyone. He was someone who was always willing to have a good match with anyone, no matter his odds of winning. This underscores his commitment to the team”.
He mentioned that Wight, alias The Big Show, should not have been a regular player: “It’s not good to overexpose the physically imposing wrestlers like Big Show or Andre the Giant, although this doesn’t detract from any of their abilities. However, they remain more special as occasional attractions. Unfortunately, I felt we overdid it with Big Show and his star power diminished. Regardless, signing both Jericho and Wight were both significant decisions. Jerry Brisco played a crucial role in bringing them in, particularly as Big Show resides in Tampa, where Jerry is based. The journey of recruiting and connecting with these guys was quite enjoyable”.
Talking about the controversial decision of bringing back Jesse Venutra as a special guest referee during the 1999 SummerSlam, Ross said, “This decision was definitely high-strung considering Jesse had an ongoing lawsuit against WWE. However, over time, differences got resolved. I felt a sense of satisfaction upon seeing Jesse recently at a WWE event. It clearly shows that anything can happen within WWE. Seeing him happy was really nice. He is quite a character and it is always nice to see peaceful resolution”.
The episode of “Grilling JR” featuring the full conversation is available on YouTube.