Jim Ross: Tony Khan Has Been Battled And Challenged, Unnecessarily So

Jim Ross comments on the job Tony Khan has done as the leader. 

Jim Ross was an early hire for AEW, joining the company in April 2019 as an announcer and advisor. Ross is one of the most legendary announcers in wrestling history, but has been phased out of WWE over the years and his contract was not renewed by WWE in March 2019. 

Speaking at Starrcast, Ross was asked what sold him on AEW. 

“Enthusiasm. His enthusiasm is infectious, and it never changes to any degree, which I admire him for that because he’s been in battle and challenged, and unnecessarily so. He doesn’t deserve it. He’s paying everybody a good wage to work at this company. More of us should be thankful for that. It sure as hell beats the unemployment line. I’m not as in dire straights as some of the young guys with families and mortgages. My family is grown, they’ve left the next. I don’t have any mortgages,” said Ross before joking with Conrad Thompson about mortgages. 

Discussing the evolving role of management relations over the years and how certain executives such as Khan, Vince McMahon, and Jim Crockett have handled issues, Ross said, “Everybody wants to put their own fingerprints on their team. Don’t look at this roster as anything other than a team. That will answer a lot of your questions, ‘what would I do if this happened?’ If you’re putting it in a team perspective, the answer should come very easy. They really do. I had a philosophy, and I’ve said it many times, if I can’t solve your problems after doing all I can to solve it, between the two of us, the only option I have is to eliminate it, and I ain’t leaving. There you go. That’s the reality of it. Your ass is out of a fucking job. Figure out how to pay the mortgage and your girlfriend’s boob job. All those things have happened under my watch. That’s how it works. You deal with people based on how they present to you, you try to deal with the problem quickly, and solve it. Don’t overthink it, solve it. Sometimes that means giving a star bad news. Have the testicles to make that presentation. You don’t treat everybody alike. If you do, you’re a fool. ‘Everybody is equal,’ bullshit. They aren’t equal. They’re not close to being equal.”

Elsewhere during the podcast, Ross commented on how Khan handled the release of CM Punk. You can find his full comments by clicking here. 

Fans can find Fightful’s coverage of AEW All Out by clicking here. Check out the post-show podcast for a full review of all the action by clicking here. 

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