AEW News: Jim Ross On When He’ll Retire, Says He Pushed For Company To Hire Legendary Announcer
Jim Ross has been calling wrestling matches for over 40 years, but the legendary announcer shows no signs of slowing down. As quoted by Post Wrestling, he recently appeared on the Sports Media podcast with Richard Deitsch, and the host asked him what his plans are after his current deal with All Elite Wrestling expires.
Ross revealed to the host that he isn’t looking to retire for years to come, and he believes that he can still contribute to the business for another couple of decades.
“‘Here’s what I’d probably like to do: How about renew it? And get another one.’ Hey look, if our man Vin Scully can do it until his 80s — that scares some young fans right there. ‘Oh my God, that old bastard is thinking about doing this until his 80s.'”
Ross recently signed a new three-year deal with AEW, which will keep the 67-year-old Hall of Famer with the promotion into his 70s. It remains to be seen if the company will extend his deal beyond that, but for now, he is their main play-by-play announcer.
As documented by 411 Mania, Ross also told Deitsch that he was responsible for the company hiring another legendary announcer, who had been mostly absent from professional wrestling since WCW closed in 2001.
“I pushed really, really aggressively to hire Tony Schiavone to join our team because it was inevitable that for whatever reason, and I can’t think of a good one, but the trend in pro wrestling has been three-man teams by and large.”
Join us #Atlanta, #KansasCity and downtown #Chicago!
Perfect stocking stuffers!
?@AEWrestling? pic.twitter.com/RJmayc7p9r
— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) December 20, 2019
According to Ross, Schiavone’s knowledge of professional wrestling is unparalleled, which makes him an invaluable asset to any company. Like Ross, Schiavone is a veteran who has been calling wrestling matches for decades, and he was present through the industry’s most memorable eras.
Ross also stated that Schiavone was completely done with wrestling prior to joining AEW. During his absence, he worked as a barista, but it was starting a podcast with Conrad Thompson that reignited his passion for the business. Since joining AEW, Schiavone been used in a variety of onscreen roles, and Ross believes that there’s nothing that his colleague isn’t good at.
Despite being focused on AEW for now, Ross has remained supportive of WWE superstars as well. As The Inquisitr recently reported, he offered his support to Piper Niven, who was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy. Ross was diagnosed with the same condition in 1994 but has managed to remain successful in the business despite his struggles.
