RollingStone.com recently did a Q&A with WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross. Below are some highlights:
Current state of WWE:
“I look at WWE more like they’re reloading rather than regrouping. But I do think it’s a transitional period, and it’s creating a lot of talk, because the fans are unsure of where the future’s leading. Somebody’s gotta replace John Cena. Who’s it going to be? So there’s a lot of unknown, but I don’t perceive it to be overtly negative. In this case, the talents didn’t go to another wrestling company. Some of them just got old. Some of them just got injured. Here’s the deal: As a football team, you’re always obligated to develop a backup quarterback. So, I think the mistake the WWE’s made is that they haven’t developed that backup quarterback as readily as they would have liked. But it isn’t formulaic. You gotta have a real good eye for talent, and you gotta create the right kind of people. I think it’s a unique time in the business, and it’s a unique time to study it.”
Will there ever be another Attitude Era?
“I hope so, but it’s going to take the right talent at the right time, and that person’s got to be greedy – they want to be the top guy, they need to be the top guy. And I don’t know that society is producing an overabundance of young men and women with that mindset now.”
Re-introducing Sting in WWE:
“I think what you have to do with Sting is determine what his final match or event will be, and then book it backwards and build to that destination. Sting’s got all these year of television exposure, [so] you don’t want to overexpose him. You want to make sure you keep him in a positive light with your vignettes, your interactions on TV. And you sure as heck don’t want him to wrestle on television before WrestleMania. I want his first match with WWE to be at WrestleMania, and he’s gotta wrestle a top star. For years, everybody wanted Sting to wrestle the Undertaker, and because I’m not aware of the Undertaker’s physical condition, and the fact that he lost this past WrestleMania, maybe some of the luster’s been removed. Sting probably wants to wrestle one more major match, get that WrestleMania moment under his belt. It’s like a veteran football player finally making a playoff team, and they get to the Super Bowl and then they retire. Bring him in as a reoccurring star that has a personal issue with Triple H, and they settle their personal issue at WrestleMania.”
Making this year’s Royal Rumble a success:
“A lot of things depend on how healthy some of the guys are that are hurt. I would say you have a chance to have someone emerge from the Rumble that’s going to be your next big thing. With that said, my feeling is that Roman Reigns wins the Royal Rumble. He has a great look. He has the confidence of the promotion, so I think he’d be a great potential winner. How he does it is another issue. Does he come in during the middle of the match and just dominate? Last year, he did that. I don’t think it was followed up on like they probably would have liked for it to. If you’re going to have [Brock] Lesnar be the champion at WrestleMania, and then the winner of the Royal Rumble meets the champion, then you would have the match between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, and there’s where you would pass the torch.”
