Legendary broadcaster Jim “JR” Ross has one of the most respected minds in wrestling. It’s safe to say that when he speaks, fans and critics alike listen.
In a recent interview with Kevin Kellam of Sportskeeda Wrestling, Ross shared his thoughts on the lessons the industry can take away from the recent year-plus in which the COVID-19 pandemic turned it upside down. The WWE Hall of Famer emphasized the importance of planned storytelling, especially as it relates to episodic television, as a vital aspect of the business that needs to be prioritized going forward.
“I think that we have to understand that our storytelling is the most important thing that we do,” said Ross. “Episodic television has got certain elements that come along with it, part of the package. I think we all, you know, it’s amazing to me that, I’ve gone on TV on RAW back in the day without even a completed format.
“Like nothing. The writers and Vince had had trouble settling on something, and it was like dominoes falling. You have to fix this before you can fix this. So we’d go out there and we didn’t know what the first match was. And then we’d wait for our formats to get out there. Might be the second or third segment of the show. Tony Khan is so ahead of things that we’ll know what he’s gonna book for next week before we go on the air.”
Ross also discussed AEW’s promising roster, which is full of talented young wrestlers. He specifically pointed to Wardlow as someone who as the potential to be a major player at some point in the future.
“Wardlow, I look at Wardlow and say man, I look back at every generation that I’ve been in, 7’0s on forward, there’s not a booker that I ever worked for that would not have embraced and loved having Wardlow on the roster,” said Ross. “Wardlow’s gonna be our…in my opinion, Wardlow could be our next big thing here.”
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The full clip is available here:
