Why Didn't Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura Get Along?

[toodarkmark]

In 1992 in WCW, I remember thinking "Why is Ross no selling Ventura's commentary?" I know Ventura has since stated that he got along with everyone except Ross. I haven't heard much of anything from Ross on the subject.

I always thought maybe its politics, or maybe what Ventura was being paid, or that he was a WWF Sports Entertainment. Maybe a little of all of that.

Has anyone heard of any concrete reasons?

[andrew8798]

Unlike Vince and Tony JR really didn't play off Jessie jokes. Was like a styles clash Ross has said it was his fault

[Crappler El 0 M]

I think Jesse has said that he figures Jim was jealous of him for what he was making in WCW. Jesse says he would try to feed Jim Ross lines, but Jim wouldn't respond or play along.

Jim Ross has said that he let his ego and political issues at WCW get in the way. Ross said he takes responsibility for the pairing not working.

[petef3]

Ross was brought up in an environment where announcers weren't "characters," and couldn't adjust to Jesse's style at the time. Jesse thought Ross was a Keith Jackson wannabe and didn't have much respect for him. And yet, I kind of liked their pairing. Jesse could do hard analysis when he wanted to (which wasn't always) which paired well with Ross, but he also pushed JR sometimes when Ross would fall back into one of his cliched talking points.

[Deleted]

Reasons already mentioned, but also, well they're both stubborn and ornery and neither especially good at hiding it.

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

Dec 22, 2018 22:00:22 GMT -5 Crappler El 0 M said:

I think Jesse has said that he figures Jim was jealous of him for what he was making in WCW. Jesse says he would try to feed Jim Ross lines, but Jim wouldn't respond or play along.

Jim Ross has said that he let his ego and political issues at WCW get in the way. Ross said he takes responsibility for the pairing not working.

This. JR admitted that he played it too serious instead of trying to develop a chemistry with Ventura.

Ross said that he wasn’t easy to work back then because backstage he was still being punished for the Bill Watts fiasco.

[The Dark Order Inferno]

Jim Ross is kind of an arse whose 'lovable grampa' character is as much an act as any of those portrayed by wrestlers. He was irked that Ventura was paid what he was and things weren't going his way backstage, so acted up like a spoiled child, until he fled WCW to avoid retribution as a guy he'd mistreated was his new boss.

[Deleted]

I like Jim Ross but the man is sour in real life. It’s a fact.

And yeah before anyone says it I know he can’t smile anymore but it’s not about that... in general his attitude towards everything seems to be miserable.

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

Dec 23, 2018 9:23:53 GMT -5 The Dark Order Inferno said:

Jim Ross is kind of an arse whose 'lovable grampa' character is as much an act as any of those portrayed by wrestlers. He was irked that Ventura was paid what he was and things weren't going his way backstage, so acted up like a spoiled child, until he fled WCW to avoid retribution as a guy he'd mistreated was his new boss.

He never mistreated Bischoff, Ross was offended that a guy who was lower on the totem pole at wcw became his boss. Can’t say I blame him. Jim Ross had seniority and more experience in Turner but because of the Watts fiasco they passed on him.

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

Dec 23, 2018 9:29:40 GMT -5 @negan said:

I like Jim Ross but the man is sour in real life. It’s a fact.

And yeah before anyone says it I know he can’t smile anymore but it’s not about that... in general his attitude towards everything seems to be miserable.

...

Bell’s Palsy destroyed his face. Despite serious medical issues, he constantly got fired and humiliated both publicly and privately by his psychopath boss. His wife died recently in a brutal car accident, the driver who caused the crash didn’t even lost his driver’s license, despite the District Attorney wanting to press charges, the judge let the guy walk away.

I wouldn’t be smiling all day long if I suffered just a tenth of what he went through.

[SmashTV]

Coincidentally I'm listening to the Lapsed Fan review of Halloween Havoc 1992 and they mention Ross and Ventura not gelling. You could put this down to Jesse having a certain style that Monsoon and Vince knew how to play off, but if there were real life issues then it might not have helped the product.

[Larryhausen]

The few shows that Jim called with Heenan had the same problem.

[horsemen4ever]

Too bad the 1996 heel Jim Ross shoot on Jessie like he Heenan and Savage.

[Allie Kitsune]

Ventura strikes me as somebody difficult to get along with in the first place.

[jason1980s]

Dec 23, 2018 17:25:33 GMT -5 Larryhausen said:

The few shows that Jim called with Heenan had the same problem.

I actually enjoyed them working together. They did a few 1993 Coliseum Videos together and they seemed to play off each other well enough. Maybe not the greatness of Jim and King or Bobby and Gorilla but still good. Most of the matches were from mid to late 1992 and early 1993 before Jim had even been with WWF, some of the wrestlers were already gone by that point but Jim knew enough about the wrestlers and storylines to put everything over. I seem to remember him writing in a WCW Magazine Ross Report that he followed the competition. I think Bobby was good with Jim too because there wasn't much bickering about wrestlers. It was a time when Bobby didn't have any wrestlers to manage (I think Flair had already gone) so he called it down the middle except to poke fun at some of the good guys.

[stevec484]

Dec 24, 2018 20:41:24 GMT -5 Allie Kitsune said:

Ventura strikes me as somebody difficult to get along with in the first place.

He definitely has a strong personality but I dont remember too many shoots that talked badly about him.

[chronocross]

I liked the duo of Schiavone/Ventura on the Worldwide shows a lot better as they had better chemistry and played off of each other very well, I figure it helped that they worked together in WWF so they were already familiar with one another.

[Deleted]

this has a quick mashup of both of their side of the story www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqE6mKkegiE