Jim Ross has recalled the difficulties of having Vince McMahon in his headset during WWE broadcasts, revealing that his former boss would shout instructions at him several times during a show.
Speaking on Grilling JR, Jim Ross was asked what it was like calling WWE programming while receiving directions from Vince McMahon. The Hall of Fame commentator said McMahon regularly raised his voice and would sometimes instruct him to make points he had already mentioned on commentary.
“If his headset was working, and there was somebody on the other end, you can bet your sweet a** he was going to be yelling. I don’t understand it. I don’t know if it’s apprehension, or someone being especially insecure, or they got to be in control. I don’t know, because oftentimes he’d tell me to say something that I’d already said, because he wasn’t listening.”
Jim Ross recalled one particular episode of Monday Night Raw where McMahon became angry because he believed the commentator had failed to mention something during a match.
However, Ross insisted he had already made the point and refused to repeat himself because he believed doing so would make the broadcast sound unnatural.
“I remember we went to a commercial break on Monday Night Raw, and he said to me, JR, did you hear what I told you to say? Yeah, I heard you, but I already said it. By saying it again it made us both look stupid.”
Ross acknowledged that McMahon was responsible for overseeing virtually every aspect of WWE at the time, meaning his attention could be divided between several areas while a show was taking place. Nevertheless, he described McMahon as challenging to work for.
Jim Ross Said Vince McMahon Never Shouted At Jerry Lawler On Commentary
The experience was apparently very different for Jim Ross’ longtime commentary partner Jerry Lawler.
According to Ross, McMahon never shouted at Lawler through his headset because he knew The King would not tolerate being treated that way.
“Vince never yelled at Lawler, because he knew Lawler couldn’t take it and wouldn’t take it. So I never heard Vince lash out at Jerry, not one time. Me, on the other hand, several times a show.”
Elsewhere in the episode, Ross praised Lawler’s instincts as a broadcaster and revealed that his partner did not attend production meetings with him during the Attitude Era.
Ross said Lawler had such a strong understanding of professional wrestling that he required little preparation to be effective on commentary. He also credited both Lawler and Bobby Heenan with making him a better broadcaster throughout his career.
Ross and Lawler recently reunited at WrestleCon in Minneapolis over SummerSlam weekend.
