Jim Ross on Working with Lawler & Vince, Foley’s First WWE Victory, More

TV Insider held a recent interview with Jim Ross discussing commentating matches with Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler, missing out on commentating Mick Foley’s historic WWF Championship victory, and more.

On the topic of working with Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler in the commentary booth, Ross stated working in the WWF after leaving WCW was a refreshing experience and really enjoyed Vince being a lot more straightforward to work with.

“I had no idea what the franchise Monday Night Raw was going to eventually mean what it has. I worked with Vince [McMahon] and Jerry Lawler. That was new. Three men in a booth was new for me. Not being the lead guy was new. It was a great, refreshing start. A reboot. At that time, I came from a chaotic WCW with all the changes in management. It was a relief to work for a company where you could get a straight answer from the decision-maker. I loved that part of it.”

On the topic of working with “Macho Man” Randy Savage and commentating the 1-2-3 Kid versus Bret Hart match, Ross stated he loved working with Macho Man even though it was very tough to earn his trust. He also praised Bret Hart for being able to make anyone shine as a star in the ring and gave the match he had against the 1-2-3 Kid as an example.

“I worked with Randy Savage, which is never easy. I loved his talent. I loved his passion, but he had to trust you. I think he had trust issues, but he was damn sure talented. He and I called the 1-2-3 Kid and Bret Hart. To many in the crowd, I’m sure they thought it would be an easy Bret Hart win and that this young guy, Sean Waltman, wouldn’t have a chance. It was one of the classic examples of how great a talent Bret Hart was, because he made Sean Waltman look like a million bucks. They had an extremely competitive match that was based in logic, unpredictability.”

On the topic of missing commentating on Mick Foley’s historic WWF Championship victory, Ross stated it was one of his biggest regrets during his career as a commentator in the WWE. Ross suffered a second bout of Bell’s Palsy prior to Foley’s historic moment which caused him to be away from the WWE at the time.

“I worked so diligently and with all my heart to get Mick hired because I felt like he was a good citizen and a great opponent for The Undertaker, which I needed at that time. I didn’t get to call that match. That’s one of my regrets as far as Raw was that I was ill when Foley won his title. I thought it was a moment I would have loved to experience with him.”