That’s the question a lot of fans are asking Jim Ross, to the point where he’s decided to devote an entire blog entry on his official site to the topic. Here’s some of what he has to say on the subject:
In response to people claiming he should quit in disgust over being involved in segments like kissing Vince’s ass and the Santina thing at Backlash- Many have declared that I should have quit my job and “walked off.” I can only imagine that many of these fans are young and have never held regular jobs or have a family to care for.
On being called a shill for WWE- I have also been accused of being a shill for WWE. Call it what you choose but I am loyal to whomever employees me. If loyalty is a fault then I am guilty. I was taught by my parents to be loyal and to work hard. If I’m a shill in some folk’s eyes then I suppose I always will be as I don’t intend to be any thing but a team player whether I like the play called or not. For the record, I haven’t always liked the plays I have been instructed to run but I ran them to the best of my ability. I don’t plan on changing that philosophy any time soon.
On his eventual exit from WWE- The good news is no one will have to have a benefit for me and my departure won’t be like many in the wrestling business where I won’t have a pot to p*** in or a window of which to throw it out.
On his not being as “TV friendly” as other WWE announcers- I know my style of work isn’t for everyone. I know that some people who hide behind phony names enjoy making fun of my issues with Bells palsy or the fact that I have far from a body builders psychique. Poor me, as Tony Soprano used to say.
Why he’s still around despite being so old school- Is today’s business my personal cup of tea, not always. But when a guy like me gets to broadcast a HBK-Undertaker match at an event like Wrestlemania that’s pretty much Heaven on Earth for an old school guy like me.
It’s unusual to see J.R. devote an entire entry on his site to one topic, so that alone makes this worth reading.
