WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has opened up about the tense relationship he experienced with Vince McMahon during his time with WWE, claiming the former chairman’s hostility was rooted in professional jealousy.
Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross addressed longtime speculation about McMahon’s treatment of him throughout the Attitude Era and beyond.
I never have understood Vince’s intense animosity. I think he was jealous,” JR revealed. “He was never the play-by-play guy that I was.
Ross, who served as WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent Relations from 1996-2004 while simultaneously working as the company’s lead announcer, believes McMahon refused to acknowledge his contributions to WWE’s most successful era.
He didn’t want to give me any credit for helping build the Attitude Era to what it was,” Ross explained.
The legendary commentator pointed to his role in signing the talent that transformed WWE’s fortunes.
I signed all those guys that made him millions of dollars and facilitated the company going public. Those were my guys. That was my roster and it happened to click,” he said, referencing WWE’s historic October 1999 IPO that valued the company at $172.5 million.
Ross’s signings during this period included Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Edge, Trish Stratus, and Mick Foley—talent that defined the Attitude Era and drove record revenues.
Despite the friction, Ross emphasized he’s moved forward. “I worked my ass off, but sometimes that’s just the way that it is,” he noted.
I have the choice to carry that animosity and that angst with me or cut it loose and move on. And the latter is what I’ve done, and I will continue to do.
