Jim Ross on AEW: “They have a challenging scenario”
Jim Ross spoke about his predictions for Kenny Omega going the AEW during the latest edition of The Ross Report. There are some additional highlights from the show that are available now, where Jim Ross talks about the AEW Double or Nothing Rally. You can check those out below (transcript via WrestlingInc.com).
Jim Ross on the AEW Double or Nothing rally: “I watched it all from start to finish. I thought that the message that the new promotion wanted to tell was told. In other words, the validation that this is a real entity and another global wrestling brand will develop over time thanks to the Khan Family is a reality, so I thought that it tied a bow around everything and there’s no more speculation. There’s no more this or that. It’s a matter of reality. It’s real, so I thought that was very good. I thought that the presentation, by and large, was entertaining to the degree that the close of the event with Chris Jericho was outstandingly booked. It was well placed, well produced, if you will, whatever your term might be, because Jericho was the biggest star on the show!” Ross explained, “I’m not knocking anybody! It’s just that Jericho is the longest tenured global star that appeared on that presentation. End of story! So I thought that was a great way to end it. He’ll be a great asset, no doubt, in any role that he’s put in. I don’t see Chris being on a weekly television show every week though. He’s just that kind of guy. He likes to do a lot of different things. He has varied interests and that includes his band and other projects that he’s working on.”
Jim Ross with his thoughts on the presentation for the rally: “I enjoyed the presentation. I thought it was nice. They introduced everybody. It looks like Cody’s the guy that’s going to ramrod the single [male] wrestlers. The Bucks I’m sure will oversee, to some degree, the tag teams. And apparently, Brandi Rhodes is going to oversee the women.” Ross continued, “So there’s a plan coming about and I respect the commitment of the Khan Family. I know that this company is not going to run out of money tomorrow. They’re not going to have a problem getting the ring to the next town. It’s all going to work out real well. I’m being facetious here. I’m sure that other talents… this is like recruiting in college [athletics]. When you sign a five-star recruit out of high school, and you sign him early in football, for example, then you find out that one of your star players becomes one of your best recruiters. And others in the star player’s world of high school football, graduating, and going to college, they become very interested in what their buddies are doing. So that’s kind of what I see in this scenario, talents who are not happy in one regard, for one reason or the other, usually because of one of the two Cs, and occasionally both of the two Cs, meaning cash and creative, so some of those people I’m sure will be making inroads or inquiring about getting a jersey for the AEW team.”
Jim Ross on Tony Khan speaking on how wins and losses will be emphasized in AEW: “They’re telling me in wrestle-speak that wins and losses are going to matter, then it tells me they’re going back to a retro presentation where it’s more of an athletic event, but drama, timely comedy, bigger-than-life personalities, but above all, amazing athletes doing amazing things in the process of structuring a pro wrestling match. That’s what I got out of ‘wins and losses are going to mean something.’ Ross noted, “it meant a lot more than that one short statement.”
“They have a challenging scenario, in my opinion, where you have active talents involved in the administration, the booking, and all the creative because generally it creates, or can create an area of discomfort for some talents that don’t have the confidence that they’re not getting the attention they need, the good old boy system, or ‘he’s buddies with this guy and he’s buddies with that guy’ or whatever. Whatever. That’s going to be interesting to see how those younger guys in administration make that happen. I’m not saying you can’t because you can. They’re all smart guys and I think they’ll all be fair and objective. But they’re going to find out sooner than later when you start making creative decisions that effect somebody, and wins and losses, again, are going to be significant again, then people are going to learn how to take some losses, so the only thing I’d tell those guys is learn how to lose.” Ross said, “no, really, there’s an art form in that!”
