Jim Ross

About

Jim Ross is a retired Professional Wrestling play-by-play commentator who commentated in WWF during the late 90s through the 2000s, what fans know as "The Attitude Era" and "The Ruthless Aggression Era." He is well known for some famous calls he made during those years that have since been taken out of context and placed over various videos online.

History

Jim Ross, known as "JR," was born on January 3rd, 1952 in Oklahoma, U.S.A.^[1] He first began commentating in the NWA Tri-State territory in 1974 and continued working with the promotion until 1987. During that time, he called his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship match, which featured Ric Flair and Ted DiBiase. He then began working for Jim Crockett Promotions in 1987, which was later changed to World Championship Wrestling, known as WCW. He resigned from the promotion in 1993 after a contentious relationship with future executive Eric Bischoff.

Ross debuted in WWF in 1993 during Wrestlemania IX. He worked with WWF sporadically until 1996, when he returned to commentate Monday Night Raw. In 1994, Ross suffered his first attacks of Bell's palsy. When WWF brought him back, they attempted to have him work as a "heel" (villainous) commentator, though these efforts were quickly dropped as fans cheered Ross. Ross has also commentated for the Atlanta Falcons and the XFL.

Ross cemented his legacy as the voice of WWE between 2002 and 2008, working Monday Night Raw during this period alongside Jerry "The King" Lawler. In 2008, he moved to Smackdown, a second WWE show. His final broadcast as a full-time WWE announcer was on October 6th, 2009. Ross has since worked sporadically with WWE, sometimes feuding with his replacement, Michael Cole, and commentating momentous matches in WWE, such as the 'End of an Era' Hell in a Cell match between Triple H and The Undertaker at Wrestlemania XXVIII. HE also worked in WWE's developmental brand NXT as an announcer and talent scout. On September 23rd, 2011, Ross announced his "retirement" from WWE, though he would return to call The Undertaker's final match against Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania XXXIV.

Related Memes

Notable Quotes

Online, several of Ross' calls are quoted, particularly in response to examples of extreme domination. Among several popular quotes is "That Man Has a Family!", which was said by Ross when the wrestler Kane gave his finisher, a Tombstone, to the timekeeper (shown below).

Bah Gawd! As God As My Witness He Is Broken In Half!

Two of Ross' most memorable calls come from the Undertaker vs. Mankind "Hell In a Cell" match on June 28th, 1998 at the King of the Ring pay-per-view,^[2] the same match that spawned the The Undertaker Threw Mankind Off Hell In a Cell copypasta. First, when Undertaker through Mankind off Hell in a Cell, Ross exploded by shouting "Bah Gawd! He killed him! As God as my witness, he is broken in half!" (shown below, left). Later, Undertaker threw Mankind threw the top of the cell, to which Ross cried, "Somebody stop the damn match!"

Jim Ross Commentary Over…

In the mid-2010s, a trend emerged where Ross' commentary was placed over videos of various sporting events and activities in which a person or team is owned. The first known video of this kind, posted on March 13th, 2011, features a kid getting revenge on a bully dubbed with the Jim Ross "Hell In a Cell" call, gaining over 49,000 views (shown below, left). Notably, on July 8th, 2014, Deadspin^[3] uploaded a video of Germany's multiple goals against Brazil in the 2014 World Cup Semifinal with Jim Ross commentary over it, which later appeared on YouTube and racked up over a combined 230,000 views (shown below, right).

Search Interest

External References