History Wrestling / JimRoss

As usual, ThatOtherWiki has additional information on his life and career.

* ActionSurvivor: Has actually wrestled several times. He even beat Wrestling/TripleH at one point. Of course he didn't exactly "beat" Triple H so much as survive him.

* BreakingTheFourthWall: A covert case, but not obvious to the casual wrestling fan who assumes everything is scripted. During the 1998 Hell In A Cell match between Wrestling/TheUndertaker and [[Wrestling/MickFoley Mankind]] (a match now considered legendary), Mankind was thrown off the cage, through a table to the floor. He is stretched away, but gets off the stretcher, climbs the cage again and restarts the match - at which point, he is chokeslammed ''[[HowMuchMoreCanHeTake through the cage roof]]'' to the ring below. Ross shouted: "Will somebody stop the damn match? Enough is enough!" This was out of legitimate concern for Mankind, who had already taken quite a beating up to this point.
** In addition, Ross was so calm whilst telling the audience of Wrestling/OwenHart's fatal accident at ''Over the Edge 1999'' that it is often hard to believe it was live. Wrestling/JerryLawler, on the other hand, looked like a ghost. Ross's reiteration of that fact it really happened whilst trying not to outright say wrestling is fake was something to be absolutely commended. While he seemed slightly exasperated that the event was going to continue after Owen's death, he did not appear to be too concerned for long.
* {{Cameo}}
** Present at All American Wrestling and Wrestling/DragonGate's joint show in Chicago for autograph signings.
** On Wrestling/{{TNA}} Impact, he's never physically showed up but they have used his picture and recorded statements regarding [[Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys Bully Ray]] putting Dixie Carter through a table.

** "He's a human being!!" (usually accompanied by the aforementioned "Bah Gawd" or "Good Gawd Almighty!")

** "AS GOD IS MY WITNESS, [[Wrestling/MickFoley HE]] IS BROKEN IN HALF!!!"

* TheChewToy

* CoolOldGuy: He does not make nearly the effort Jerry Lawler does to keep up with the trends but he's got multiple younger generations of fans anyway.

* CovertPervert: While not as bad as Jerry Lawler, JR has made more than a couple statements about the attractiveness of the female wrestlers, mostly Wrestling/TrishStratus, but hey, it's [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer Trish Stratus]]. But here's one from Raw 11/19/2011 regarding someone else

* DeepSouth: Actually, Oklahoma is not traditionally "deep south", unlike Memphis or Kentucky where his broadcast partners Jerry Lawler and Wrestling/JimCornette are from. Nonetheless, Jim Ross was the one who tended to get singled out for being "too southern".

* FaceHeelTurn: WWE tried this (and failed spectacularly) a couple times, including assaulting Michael Cole in early 1999 because he thought Cole was stealing his job. It backfired as the crowd pretty much agreed and cheered. Turns out beating on a CreatorsPet is not the best way to gain heel heat.

* FreudianSlip

--> "Jericho looking right at you Triple H". (Mistaking Wrestling/ChrisBenoit for Wrestling/ChrisJericho during the former's entrance on an episode of Raw)

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: More in a snark sense but JR definitely has his share of filling his commentary with sly comments that would pass over the heads of more casual fans.

* HappilyMarried: Whenever Jerry Lawler or Wrestling/PaulHeyman drool over whichever Diva is wrestling in the current match and mention it to JR, the latter calmly replies that he's a happily married man. Of course, his clever retort would be, "I may be on a diet, but I can still look at the menu!"
** Sadly, his wife Jan is no longer with us, as she was killed as a result of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

* HotBlooded
** JR tends to yell a lot during big matches but he never quite got as worked up as much as he did during ''[=WrestleMania=] XXII'' when Wrestling/ShawnMichaels fought Vince [=McMahon=] in a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown. Playing off of when Vince forced JR to ''[[{{Squick}} kiss his ass]]'' and off of Vince's continual mind games with Shawn, Ross went absolutely ballistic during the match. Even the usually over the top Jerry Lawler was (kayfabe) surprised when Ross stated that Vince deserved getting beat down more than anyone alive: "More than ''anyone alive'', JR?!"
-->*when HBK grabs the large framed ''Muscle & Fitness'' cover at ringside and prepares to hit Vince with it* "That's right! Yeah, Hit him in the head with it '''AND THEN SHOVE IT UP HIS ASS!!!!'''"

** When Wrestling/EricBischoff took over Wrestling/{{WCW}} and started executing his plans to make it the national juggernaut it became, decided that Ross was too fat and too southern to be on TV. When Ross was hired by WWE, Vince [=McMahon=] played up these traits by giving him the name J.R. and giving him his ten gallon hat, both of which he hated at first. Eventually he became beloved as "Good Ol' J.R.", the voice of professional wrestling.

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: He's accused many a baby face of having "more guts than brains" and has frequently called for matches to be stopped. To an extent, this is Jim Ross and WWE's relationship in real life. He might have to endure a lot of indignities but they do pay him well.

* [[PoliticallyIncorrectHero Licensed Sexist]]: Maybe it's just what he's told to say or maybe he didn't know how to turn it off, but, he has a history of making dismissive, sexist comments seemingly at will. When WWE had their developmental program FCW, he sat in on commentary on one episode. He hyped a Divas match that would be happening after a commercial break as the "Battle of the [=Jezebels=]."
* ManOnFire: He was set a blaze by unmasked Kane. "Kane Sucks" signs started appearing in the audience almost immediately afterwards.

** His best Stone Cold line was when SCSA was walking down the ramp pissed muttering to himself like always and JR says "'''HE'S WALKIN! HE'S TALKIN!!'''"

* TheNickNamer
** He had several nicknames for wrestlers. Some caught on, such as [[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin The Texas Rattlesnake]], [[Wrestling/{{Kane}} The Big Red Machine]], [[Wrestling/CarlitoColon The South Paw From San Juan]] and [[Wrestling/TheUndertaker The Demon From Death Valley]]. Some did not, such as [[Wrestling/StevieRichards The Enigma]], [[Wrestling/TheUndertaker The Big California Redwood]] or [[Wrestling/SantinoMarella The Milan Miracle]].
** He also had names for several moves or CharacterTics wrestlers would fall back on, such as The Wrestling/{{Batista}} Bomb, [[Wrestling/{{Melina}} The Primal Scream]], [[Wrestling/CarlitoColon The Backstabber]] and [[Wrestling/ShawnMichaels Tuning Up the Band]].

* ProductPlacement: Comes with the territory. He and King are particularly remembered for zealously shilling skittles and Subway sandwiches. Also, there is JR's own barbeque sauce, though he does not promote it nearly as much as he his mocked for it.

* RedOniBlueOni: The more subdued blue to Jerry Lawler, Jim Cornette and Paul Heyman. The louder, more passionate red to Mick Foley and Todd Grisham.

** And not much later, "TYSON! TYSON! TYSON!" You can tell his voice is almost gone by this point (if you didn't notice with the previous line)
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Him and Jerry Lawler fits this trope to a T.

* [[StupidStatementDanceMix Stupid Statement Rap]]: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgpa6hjlUbY "My Ass"]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwKoh4QfXss "My Ass II/The Time Has Arrived"]].

James William "Jim" Ross (a.k.a. "Good Ol' JR" or just "JR") is one of the greatest ([[http://i39.tinypic.com/2lw61j.jpg and most beloved]]) commentators in the history of ProfessionalWrestling having provided commentary for the Wrestling/{{WWE}} for almost 20 years (and having worked for several other promotions, including Wrestling/{{WCW}}, prior to starting with WWF/E and Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling after his unceremonious firing from WWE). He is also close friends with Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin.

'''James William "Jim" Ross''' (a.k.a. "Good Ol' JR" or just "JR") is one of the greatest ([[http://i39.tinypic.com/2lw61j.jpg and most beloved]]) commentators in the history of ProfessionalWrestling having provided commentary for the Wrestling/{{WWE}} for almost 20 years (and having worked for several other promotions, including Wrestling/{{WCW}}, prior to starting with WWF/E and Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling after his unceremonious firing from WWE). He is also close friends with Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin.

* LampshadeHanging: Ross famously did this in reagrds to the abundance of weapons under the ring.

-->*when HBK grabs the large framed ''Muscle & Fitness'' cover at ringside and prepares to hit Vince with it* "That's right! Hit him over the head with it '''AND THEN SHOVE IT UP HIS ASS!!!!'''"

* ItWillNeverCatchOn

* KnowWhenToFoldThem: He's accused many a baby face of having "more guts than brains" and has frequently called for matches to be stopped. To an extent, this is Jim Ross and WWE's relationship in real life. He might have to endure a lot of indignities but they do pay him well.
* LampshadeHanging: Ross famously lampshaded the abundance of weapons under the ring.

** His best stone cold line was when SCSA was walking down the ramp pissed muttering to himself like always and JR says "'''HE'S WALKIN! HE'S TALKIN!!'''"
* NiceHat: His signature black ten-gallon Stetson cowboy hat. Any time a heel wants to get some quick KickTheDog heat, they mess with the hat. Interestingly, he initially hated the hat at first, but eventually grew to like it so much that he never takes it off at work.

** He also had names for several moves or CharacterTics wrestlers would fall back on, such as The Wrestling/{{Batista}} Bomb, [[Wrestling/{{Melina}} The Primal Scream]], [[Wrestling/CarlitoColon The Backstabber]] and [[Wrestling/ShawnMichaels Warming Up The Band]].

* BreakingTheFourthWall: A covert case, but not obvious to the casual wrestling fan who assumes everything is scripted. During the 1998 Hell In A Cell match between Wrestling/TheUndertaker and [[Wrestling/MickFoley Mankind]] (a match now considered legendary), Mankind was thrown off the cage, through a table to the floor. He is stretched away, but gets off the stretcher, climbs the cage again and restarts the match - at which point, he is chokeslammed through the roof off the cage to the ring below. Ross shouted: "Will somebody stop the damn match? Enough is enough!" This was out of legitimate concern for Mankind, who had already taken quite a beating up to this point.

He's semi-retired from commentatin' -- though [[TheBusCameBack he does come back every now and then]]. In 2016, he returned to the broadcast booth full-time, calling matches for NJPW's weekly taped show on AXS. In his spare time, he also runs [[http://www.jrsbarbq.com a website]] that peddles his own brand of condiments and barbecue products, and he also offers a regularly updated blog about current events in wrestling and even boxing, MMA, football and other sports.

He's semi-retired from commentatin' -- though [[TheBusCameBack he does come back every now and then]]. In his spare time, he also runs [[http://www.jrsbarbq.com a website]] that peddles his own brand of condiments and barbecue products, and he also offers a regularly updated blog about current events in wrestling and even boxing, MMA, football and other sports.

** He was the same way at ''No Way Out 2003'', when Steve Austin faced Eric Bischoff. Not only was Stone Cold coming back from a ten month absence, but Eric Bischoff had kicked a cinder block through Ross's head. Suffice to say, JR was as pumped for Bischoff's comeuppance as the red-hot Montreal crowd.

** His best stone cold line was when SCSA was walking down the ramp pissed muttering to himself like always and JR says "'''HE'S WALKIN! '''HE'S TALKIN!!'''"

* CatchPhrase

* MundaneMadeAwesome: His commentary is well known for making matches exciting when they would otherwise be average without him.

** "That man has a family!"

* {{Cameo}}: On Wrestling/{{TNA}} Impact, he's never physically showed up but they have used his picture and recorded statements regarding [[Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys Bully Ray]] putting Dixie Carter through a table.

** "Those stairs are not made out of chocolate!"

* PerpetualFrowner: Due to Bell's Palsy.

** One theory is that J.R. enjoys GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity, having been fired numerous times only to be "invited" back once the WWE realized they had no one to replace him with. (The push for East Coast-bred Michael Cole could therefore be seen as a deliberate effort to distance themselves from J.R.'s iconic southern twang.) Ross has also frequently promised -- threatened? -- to write a tell-all biography about his time with the company, only to clam up once he's been re-hired.

'''James William "Jim" Ross''' (a.k.a. "Good Ol' JR" or just "JR") is one of the greatest ([[http://i39.tinypic.com/2lw61j.jpg and most beloved]]) commentators in the history of ProfessionalWrestling having provided commentary for the Wrestling/{{WWE}} for almost 20 years (and having worked for several other promotions, including Wrestling/{{WCW}}, prior to starting with WWF/E and Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling after his unceremonious firing from WWE). In addition, he is the man behind his own brand of barbecue sauce, has written cookbooks, and has opened a barbecue restaurant. He is also close friends with Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin.

'''James William "Jim" Ross''' (a.k.a. "Good Ol' JR" or just "JR") is one of the greatest ([[http://i39.tinypic.com/2lw61j.jpg and most beloved]]) commentators in the history of ProfessionalWrestling having provided commentary for the Wrestling/{{WWE}} for almost 20 years (and having worked for several other promotions, including Wrestling/{{WCW}}, prior to starting with WWF/E and Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling after his unceremonious firing from WWE). In addition, he is the man behind his own brand of barbecue sauce, has written cookbooks, and has opened a barbecue restaurant. He is also close friends with Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin. He is semi-retired from commentating now, though [[TheBusCameBack he does come back every now and then]]. In his spare time, he also runs [[http://www.jrsbarbq.com a website]] that peddles his own brand of condiments and barbecue products, and he also offers a regularly updated blog about current events in wrestling and even boxing, MMA, football and other sports.

[[quoteright:308:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/JimRossJR_2384.jpg]]

'''James William "Jim" Ross''' (a.k.a. "Good Ol' JR" or just "JR") is one of the greatest ([[http://i39.tinypic.com/2lw61j.jpg and most beloved]]) commentators in the history of ProfessionalWrestling having provided commentary for the Wrestling/{{WWE}} for almost 20 years (and having worked for several other promotions, including Wrestling/{{WCW}}, prior to starting with WWF/E). In addition, he is the man behind his own brand of barbecue sauce, has written cookbooks, and has opened a barbecue restaurant. He is also close friends with Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin. He is semi-retired from commentating now, though [[TheBusCameBack he does come back every now and then]]. In his spare time, he also runs [[http://www.jrsbarbq.com a website]] that peddles his own brand of condiments and barbecue products, and he also offers a regularly updated blog about current events in wrestling and even boxing, MMA, football and other sports.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: More in a smark sense but JR definitely has his share of filling his commentary with sly comments that would pass over the heads of more casual fans.