AlternativeNation.net’s Sports section has up a new interview with WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross. Below are highlights from the interview, where JR discusses why WWE should sign AJ Styles and Ronda Rousey and compares Brock Lesnar to Muhammad Ali. CLICK HERE to read and listen to the full interview.
On AJ Styles in WWE: “AJ Styles would fit into any structure, it’s just a matter of decision makers having an open mind and be willing to utilize him to his skills, and not stereotype him because he isn’t the biggest guy in the locker room. He’s as good a performer as anybody WWE has right now from bell to bell. He’s an amazing athlete, and he’s perfected his craft, he’s a lifelong fan, he doesn’t drink or have a drug problem, he’s a good family man, he’s everything you would want.”
On Ronda Rousey in WWE: “She’s my favorite MMA fighter. She has legit star power and a great personality. She’s every promoter’s dream, whether it be pro wrestling, or Hollywood, or MMA, or whatever. She has looks, she has skill, she has intelligence. If I were WWE, if I could make this happen, she would definitely have a role at WrestleMania 31 to do something.”
Comparing Brock Lesnar to Muhammad Ali: “There’s always going to be a segment of the MMA community that is going to cheer for Lesnar to lose, if and when he comes back for another run after his diverticulitis issues, but that’s the beauty of it. Muhammad Ali told me one time, back in the 80’s, that he realized early in his career that he could make more money as a boxer, as a black man in a white man’s business as far as management and TV contracts, and distribution of PPV dollars, he said, ‘I realized my place as a fighter would be enhanced if I put myself in a position where the fans pay more money to see me lose than they would to see me win.’”
“It was at that point in his career where he became a Muslim, he refused to go into the military, etc., it was like a wrestling writer was writing his script because everything he did was going to guarantee him to be a villain. When he came back he was vilified for a long time until people started understanding him, and seeing his religion was legitimate, and he wasn’t anti-American, and he become this universally loved hero in the latter part of his career, when he was getting his brain scrambled.”
