Jim Ross - Not Everyone Deserves A WWE WrestleMania Spot
The legendary announcer believes you should earn a spot at Mania
Jim Ross recently shared his thoughts on wrestlers performing at WWE WrestleMania. Speaking with Conrad Thompson on the Grilling JR podcast, the former WWE Executive Vice-President of Talent Relations revealed how being on the 'Mania card is still life or death to many wrestlers.
“Every year at WrestleMania, you had that conversation with a variety of folks,” Ross said. “They’re wondering what they did wrong, who’d I piss off, this has got to be a political decision because I’m great and I should be on the card.
“It’s a very hard, very sensitive subject to discuss, but I’ve had dozens and dozens of those conversations over the years, 26 years. You can’t get everybody on the card. They’ve done a better job by adding battle royals, [and] another day."
But Ross still believes talent should earn the right to perform at the Showcase of the Immortals/
“I’ve always believed just because you’re on the roster doesn’t mean you automatically get a pass to be on a WrestleMania card. I would never book anybody on a card just to make them happy if they didn’t deliver a really good product because those tickets and pay per views are not cheap.
"I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings but we have to, it’s a business we have to be realistic. That can’t be a reason you book somebody, because you didn’t want to hurt their feelings.”
JR’s statements come in an age where debate about who 'should' and 'shouldn’t' be on the WrestleMania card rages across the internet, with WWE’s preference for part-timers and older stars angering many sections of the hardcore fanbase.
While on one hand you can see where JR is coming from, on the other you have to root for those stars getting that all important WrestleMania paycheque, no matter where they land on the card.
Credit: Grilling JR
H/T: Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
