ESPN's Front Row recently interviewed Jim Ross, and the following are interview highlights:
On Jonathan Coachman and Todd Grisham:
"Coach" is as multitalented a person as I've ever worked with. Grisham? A tall, disillusioned Alabama fan! [Ross supports Oklahoma and revels in the Sooners’ 2014 AllState Sugar Bowl win over the Tide.] I’m proud of both of those guys. [Going to ESPN] was a wonderful career move for them. They're better fits in ESPN's world than they were in the WWE's world.
On working with E:60 for a future story that provides an inside look at WWE:
"I'm expecting a masterpiece. [E:60 producers] were allowed crazy access. . . [Producer] Ben Houser became a student of the business. I was very impressed with Ben. He asked great questions."
On what NBA Finals matchup he would apply the term "slobber knocker" to:
"We really need to have Oklahoma City and Miami again. That's the money. The WWE is an attraction, star-driven business. If you're a television programmer, wouldn't you like to have LeBron James versus Kevin Durant? That intrigues me as a fan."
On helping Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Brock Lesnar transition from star college athletes to pro wrestling superstars:
"The Rock" was a unique case because The Rock's grandfather and father were both pro wrestlers. He had a familiarity with the business in general… He was a third-generation guy and was also had a college degree at Miami who was also broke. You had a bright, broke guy who was also very motivated. I signed The Rock and really felt like he was going to be exceptional from Day 1. The best example would be Brock Lesnar. He came out of the University of Minnesota as a national champion All-American wrestler. He came from a farm in South Dakota. He didn't go to the 'U'. He didn't grow up in the sizzle world of pro wrestling. He was a dairy farmer's son. So getting him to develop his personality and release his natural charisma was something that took a little bit effort on his part. . . The biggest thing you work on is their personality, their TV presence. He finally got it."
On his vision of an ideal scenario for Daniel Bryan in WrestleMania:
"I would make sure Daniel Bryan left WrestleMania with his "moment." Every star in WWE wants to have a WrestleMania moment – meaning some bucket list dream as a professional to go to WrestleMania and steal the show. In a perfect world, just for me , Daniel Bryan would leave WWE [as] World Champion. . . Right now, Randy Orton is the champion. As the deck is currently dealt, it would be Daniel Bryan somehow against Randy Orton. Or, maybe, if you really wanted to have some fun with it, you’d make it a Triple Threat Match. You have two villains – Batista [versus] Randy Orton versus Daniel Bryan. Three guys against each other. First man to score a pinfall or submission wins. The two big villains and the smaller overachieving hero. In my storytelling world, we'd have a happy ending."
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
