WWE Hall of Famer and AEW Commentator Jim Ross recently discussed WWE RAW from 2005 on the Grilling JR podcast.
This week’s episode of the show was a watch-along of RAW from 10/10/05. That episode was eventful for JR as an on-screen character as he was ‘fired’ on television. As is usually the case, Jim Ross would discuss players and events from the timeframe, including former WWE COO Triple H.
Jim Ross on Triple H
“Triple H, he has a great heel too. Great deal, he was…he felt it. He lived it, You know?” Jim Ross began on the podcast. “He really was an extension of his own personality, or what he perceived his personality to be. He did a good job. I never had too many issues with him.”
JR would then add an interesting little tidbit into the conversation. The Man in The Black Hat would admit that he found negotiations with Triple H difficult once ‘The Game’ moved into a position higher than JR in the company.
“When he became an administrator? We didn’t have…we didn’t have a lot of successful negotiations. I was kind of always disappointed in that a little bit because I was…I always went to bat for him and got him the contract that he wanted.”
JR has mentioned in the past how he had to be the liaison between talent and management in the then WWF. JR was the Head of Talent Relations at the time Triple H was becoming a major player in the company (1999 onwards), and Jim Ross said that he helped get him a huge deal. “That was important to him, to have the same million dollar downside guarantee that all the other guys had.”
Not Reciprocating
Co-host of the podcast Conrad Thompson would then ask “are you saying that when those roles reversed and then he was sort of moving up the food chain, he wasn’t willing to reciprocate for you?”
JR then finished by admitting that he felt Triple H was just ‘following Vince McMahon’s lead.’ Alluding to how the industry had changed to a more corporate style in the years since JR stopped working in talent relations.
“Well, I’m just saying that…I think he just took Vince’s lead. ‘JR’s just an announcer.’ And then they found out over the years that to the audience [that wasn’t the case].”
