Jim Ross is officially a member of the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) promotion. He joins the company as an advisor and commentator, bringing his undeniable wealth of knowledge and experience to the table.
Speaking with Busted Open Radio, Ross discussed his new role within AEW and whether Vince McMahon had issues with him joining a different wrestling company.
Surprisingly, Ross claims that Vince has been “very pro-me making this move. He has been very positive about this. We have communicated a lot. Probably the most in a month or so than in months, which is my fault. I would like to make him proud. I learned a lot working with the guy. We built a talented roster that I am proud of. I am proud of what we did together. It was a team effort.”
“He Is Bulletproof”
He was then asked whether Vince McMahon was concerned at all over the advent of AEW, especially given that they are being backed by a billionaire in the Khans. Vince hasn’t had to take on a billionaire-funded wrestling company since Ted Turner and WCW in the ’90s.
“You know, I don’t know if he is concerned about going head-to-head with anybody. I doubt it. I think he is bulletproof in that regard,” he said. “I have said this internally with AEW; the worst mistake we can make is trying to chase WWE. We don’t need to chase WWE.
He continued, divulging that he believes there is “concern financially about rosters. I am not officially in that department, but I asked one guy in WWE who is an under-card guy, a solid hand, who can help the younger guys earn, early 30s, and they said to me that he is not available. He just signed for a half a million dollars. He is not even on television. $500,000 just to keep him off the streets, sort to speak. So yeah, I think there is a reactionary phase that is going around that AEW is willing to pay people.”
AEW’s next event, Double Or Nothing, takes place later this month on May 25th. It goes down in Paradise, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
