History Wrestling / JimRoss

* TheChewToy: An unpleasant example. During his time with the WWF/E, Ross has suffered an incredible level of degradation and hazing ''onscreen'', and all for no apparent reason. Vince [=McMahon=] just seems to want to [[FeelingOppressedByTheirExistence wipe JR off the face of the earth]]. The time he joined the "Kiss My Ass Club" might be one of the most public humiliations of all time, as were the jibes at Ross' deceased mother and Bell's palsy, to the point where Ross remaining with them sometimes comes across like a bit of a battered spouse, making excuses for his abuser. 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 of East Coast-bred Michael Cole could be seen as a deliberate effort to distance themselves from J.R.'s iconic twang, if not for the later addition of Bradshaw). Ross has also frequently promised -- threatened? -- to write a tell-all biography about his time with the company, [[ShameIfSomethingHappened only to clam up once he's been re-hired.]]

* 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. And here's one from ''Raw'' 11/19/2011 regarding someone else:

* 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 that beating on a CreatorsPet isn't the best way to gain heel heat.

** To Wrestling/JerryLawler. Under their bickering, [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther they truly care about each other]], with Lawler coming to Ross' defence when Triple H attacks him.

* {{Flanderization}}: Many fans might not realize that Ross started out as a far more reserved, cerebral announcer in the mode of his mentor Wrestling/GordonSolie, before playing up his Oklahoman roots upon joining the WWF, and becoming increasingly reliant on catchphrases and wild outbursts in lieu of thorough play-by-play.

--> "He's either crazy as hell of the toughest SOB I have ever seen... in this type of environment." (a FreudianSlip because Ross was honestly calling Mankind the toughest SOB period, but "Toughest SOB" is one of Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin's {{Red Baron}}s)

* GenreSavvy: Of wrestling, of course, and also of horror movies. Before the match between Wrestling/TheUndertaker and [[Wrestling/CharlesWright Papa Shango]] on the 1993 VHS ''Undertaker...His Gravest Matches,'' he mentioned Creator/StephenKing, Creator/BelaLugosi, Creator/BorisKarloff, Creator/VincentPrice, "[[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]] for a more current time" to set the tone for a match between a gravedigging zombie and a voodoo master.
* GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity: He's been fired from Monday Night Raw a lot. Eric Bischoff, Linda [=McMahon=] and John Laurinaitis being the most famous cases where he was dismissed only to return with much fanfare.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Joining the walk out resulting in Triple H's replacement firing him from commentary.

** JR tends to yell a lot during big matches, but he never quite got as worked up as much as he did during ''[=WrestleMania=] 22'' when Wrestling/ShawnMichaels gave Vince [=McMahon=] 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 the crap beaten out of him more than anyone alive: "More than ''anyone alive'', JR?!"

** He was the same way at ''[[Wrestling/NoWayOutWWE 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. JR was at his JR-est that night.

** And then there was the time the Rock forced Vince [=McMahon=] to kiss Rikishi's ass, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjfIKUiff_Q giving JR and Trish Stratus some long-overdue payback]]:

** 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 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.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Ross would occasionally refer to RealLife events that weren't part of Kayfabe. For example, he made a couple of references to Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan being the cousin of Wrestling/JerryLawler, a fact which was never otherwise acknowledged on WWF television.

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

* ThatCameOutWrong: During the Wrestling/StacyKeibler-Wrestling/TorrieWilson [[GimmickMatches Lingerie Match]] at ''WWF No Mercy 2001'', October 21, 2001, during one sequence when the ladies were rolling around on the mat, he said that they were "jockeying for position," and then apologized for it. (Victoria's Secret-ing?)

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Inverted. Calling a suicidal Wrestling/TommyDreamer right before [=WrestleMania=] 17 and informing him that the WWE were bringing him to the roster managed to convince Tommy not to murder Wrestling/PaulHeyman at the event.

%%* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

--->'''Jim Ross:''' ''[as 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 [[AssShove SHOVE IT UP HIS ASS!!!!]]'''"

--->'''Jim Ross:''' THIS IS A MOMENT! THIS IS A MOMENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! LOOK AT IT! FEEL IT! EXPERIENCE IT! STONE COLD IS BACK, AND HE JUST WHIPPED BISCHOFF'S ASS LIKE A GOVERNMENT MULE!"

* 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 died as a result of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

James William Ross (born January 3, 1952), a.k.a. "Good Ol' JR" or just "JR", is one of the greatest (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.

Outside of wrestling, he [[HeAlsoDid sells his own brand of barbecue sauce, has written cookbooks, and opened a barbecue restaurant.]]

He's semi-retired from commentatin' -- though [[TheBusCameBack he does come back every now and then]]. Ross returned to the broadcast booth part-time in 2016, calling matches for NJPW on AXS (a tape-delayed show that's intended to showcase NJPW matches to American audiences). 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.

After his final WWE contract expired in late March 2019, Ross signed a 3-year deal to become a "senior advisor" for Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling. It wasn't initially clear whether he'd return to the commentary table, but he would later be revealed as the lead play-by-play announcer for AEW's first major event, Double or Nothing, in May 2019. Ross also brings a world of other backstage experience, especially in talent relations.

He was inducted into the Wrestling/WWEHallOfFame in 2007.

* TheChewToy: An unpleasant example. During his time with the WWF/E, Ross has suffered an incredible level of degradation and hazing ''onscreen'', and all for no apparent reason. Vince [=McMahon=] just seems to want to [[FeelingOppressedByTheirExistence wipe JR off the face of the earth]]. The time he joined the "Kiss My Ass Club" might be one of the most public humiliations of all time, as were the jibes at Ross' deceased mother and Bell's palsy, to the point where Ross remaining with them sometimes comes across like a bit of a [[StockholmSyndrome battered spouse, making excuses for his abuser.]] 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 of East Coast-bred Michael Cole could be seen as a deliberate effort to distance themselves from J.R.'s iconic twang, if not for the later addition of Bradshaw). Ross has also frequently promised -- threatened? -- to write a tell-all biography about his time with the company, [[ShameIfSomethingHappened only to clam up once he's been re-hired.]]

* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: When [[Wrestling/MickFoley Mankind]] started to climb back up the cell after recovering from the long fall into the Spanish announcers' table in ''Wrestling/KingOfTheRing 1998'', JR shouted out, '''"Are you kidding me?! He wants to climb back up!"''' As a bouns, in an unused camera feed that has since been shown in some videos like ''Eve of Destruction'', Wrestling/TheUndertaker gets the same reaction as JR at the same time mixed with "OhCrap" before scrambling back up to the top of the cell, hoping to get there before Mankind did.

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

* OverprotectiveDad: When Trish Stratus first appeared in the WWE, she recorded a series of promos where she polished tables in her underwear to tease [[Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys Buh Buh Ray Dudley]]. Jerry Lawler reacted in traditional DirtyOldMan fashion, but JR came across more as a scolding father with the way he admonished her for what she was doing.

--> "Wrestling/{{Lita}}'s here! Jerking Wrestling/{{Edge}} off...[[VerbalBackspace the ladder]]!" (''Wrestling/WrestleMania 17'') [[note]]Which became Hilarious In Hindsight four years later...[[/note]]

%% GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2020. If you're reading this in the future, please check the trope description to make sure your example matches the current criteria.

* FatBestFriend: To Wrestling/JerryLawler. Under their bickering, [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther they truly care about each other]], with Lawler coming to Ross' defence when Triple H attacks him.

* 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 it at first, but eventually grew to like it so much that he never takes it off at work.

** He was the same way at ''[[Wrestling/NoWayOutWrestling 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. JR was at his JR-est that night.

** "Bowling-shoe ugly," used interchangeably to describe either a wrestler or a [[Horrible/ProfessionalWrestling terrible match]] (most famously to describe "''[[FanNickname That]]'' [[FanNickname Jackie Gayda Match]]").

* OnlyInItForTheMoney: JR has implied this is one reason he's kept working with WWE and says he has a positive relationship with Vince [=McMahon=]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGkcEBC7hmE He's mentioned on his podcast that working for the WWE has earned him enough money to live comfortably and in particular to send his daughters to college.]]

* FatBestFriend: To Wrestling/JerryLawler. Under their bickering, [[AwLookTheyReallyLoveEachOther they truly care about each other]], with Lawler coming to Ross' defence when Triple H attacks him.

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

* CatharsisFactor: After Vince Vince [=McMahon=] humiliated Ross by forcing Ross to kiss his ass, it was incredibly cathartic both for the audience and for JR in {{Kayfabe}} to watch the Rock humiliate Vince by forcing him to kiss Rikishi's 400-pound behind.

** 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 was chokeslammed ''[[HowMuchMoreCanHeTake through the cage roof]]'' to the ring below. Ross shouted: "Will somebody stop the damn match? Enough's enough!" This was out of legitimate concern for Mankind, who had already taken quite a beating up to this point.

James William "Jim" Ross (a.k.a. "Good Ol' JR" or just "JR", born January 3, 1952) is one of the greatest (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.