Jesse Ventura - Why Jim Ross Wouldn't Put Me Over in WCW

Jesse Ventura says Jim Ross didn't want to work with him in WCW ➤ TitleMatchNetwork.com
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This is from the exclusive Jesse Ventura shoot interview! Find out why former WWF (WWE, WWWF) star Jesse Ventura says Jim Ross deliberately did not work with him when the two did commentary together in WCW. As many remember, Jesse Ventura arrived in WCW after last working for 7 years in Vince McMahon's WWF.
Now, Jesse Ventura was paired with Jim Ross to do commentary in WCW. Thing was Jesse was making way more money than Jim Ross and even working fewer dates. Jim Ross had admitted publicly that he was bitter over this and has taken responsibility for the duo not working out.

[@JamesSmith-sw3nk]

Jim Ross has since said that his only professional regret is how he dealt with Jesse, JR said it was 100% his fault why they didn't work well together. JR said he was going through a tough time in his life.

[@Grassyknolldallas]

Karma caught up with JR especially with his Bells Palsy and his dead bit*h wife.

[@CR-xe5iz]

“The hell does meltzer know the little puke.” Hahaha

[@chadk890]

Jesse isnt wrong though

[@zlinedavid]

Boy has that statement held up well.

[@andrewdinatale8207]

5 star comment!

[@LS-fd6tl]

​@@andrewdinatale8207would have been 6 and a half stars if he'd have said it in Japan 😂

[@rickschaefer7415]

That one cracks me up every time too! 🤣🤣🤣

[@webslinger48]

Jesse is a great storyteller and a smart guy. The fact that his opinion changed about Ross during the interview speaks volumes about what a thoughtful guy he is. He's above grudges and not afraid to change his mind, the mark of intelligence imo.

[@Rysarod]

@antionitoniobianchinitio8663 You know, JR admitted he was wrong, that he made mistakes. That alone makes him respectable. Him, you, me, Mr. Ventura, none of us are above being wrong, making foolish mistakes. JR has also done some wonderful things for WWE, Also let's not give too much credit here, he couldn't have anybody he wanted fired and ate more than his fair share of crapola.

[@samsepiol05590]

He thinks 9/11 was an inside job. He’s definitely not smart lol

[@lukas_jay243]

​@@samsepiol05590If thats your standard for smart, I recommend some serious self work.

[@drunkensailor112]

​@@samsepiol05590he's the only person I can take that from

[@RustieFawn]

@@samsepiol05590 livestock brain here thinks his government that have openly admitted to terror attacks on US citizen wouldn't do something like it again lol

[@ric94]

Jessie the Body Ventura is and forever will be the Best Damm heel announcer ever.

[@cheroncarter1056]

He was the best ever the body is the goat.

[@masterj4777]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@davelanger]

Heenan was the GOAT.

[@matro951]

No bobby the brain was

[@HighFalutinTootin]

Bobby Heenan was the best but Jesse was great also

[@Who_You]

Jesse the Body - the best color commentator ever. Him and Monsoon at WM3 / 4 /5 / 6 were unbelievable. As well as other PPVs

[@pskillzful]

David Anthony he's up there with The Brain and The King

[@stevesmythe8556]

Thosr two together could make a crap match good.

[@cheroncarter1056]

Jessie is the goat

[@ebonyroundass]

I believe he's much better than JR.

[@stevesmythe8556]

@@ebonyroundass JR? The sky is blue and water is wet. Whats your point?

[@SealofPerfection]

That's EXACTLY how everyone should act when someone you were at odds with admits it was their fault. You change your opinion of them, give them credit for admitting the truth. Too many people want to stay salty and keep throwing it in their face. Ross manned up and admitted why him and Jesse didn't work, and Jesse appreciated him doing so. The way it should be.

[@rayburnett9361]

⁠@Antionitonio Bianchinitio “those who cannot change there mind cannot change anything.”

[@StuUngar]

We need more people in the world like Jesse Ventura

[@samsepiol05590]

Nah - the less right wing conspiracy theorists are the bottom of the barrel

[@Abdulaziz-vz6op]

Tony shovani and jesse were really really great they gelled together perfectly

[@Tony-fq5bn]

You know whats funny tho, is Bobby Heenan later had this problem with Schiavone. Tony would not sell Bobbys shit lol, I half think its a WcW thing, cuz Bobby said that they wanted him to be more of a straight man in WcW

[@1983jblack]

@@Tony-fq5bn Haven't heard that one, but definitely something to think about. Although Tony and Jesse worked together in WWF(Briefly) and WCW

[@robertcoggeshall3071]

Love to hear Jesse's impression of Schiavone! There was the warrior- rude ic match, and he said Tony was the new dumbest man alive instead of gorilla, lol.

[@MaxxCoyote]

You know what I love about this that I haven't seen anyone bring up? That Jesse refuses to counter vague points. "Whose they?" That he wants to know who supposedly said what before he says anything. That speaks volumes. That he's not going to fall for vague bullshit drama for one, and that he doesn't want to be mislead into piping off about someone saying something that they perhaps did not say.

[@calvinbrown2822]

Exactly and he tried to tie a name to it by using Dave Meltzer but he was lying and had to retract it such phony nonsense

[@ZakH644]

Because it was done to him by Chris Kyle

[@chrispineo1979]

If I can be serious it isn’t every day you see someone’s outlook on someone else change in real time for the better. It’s really nice to see Jesse process and change his opinion on someone he previously didn’t like.

[@Rysarod]

@antionitoniobianchinitio8663 Ah, you're just a prick with a hardon of hate or worse, just a troll. That's a shame.

[@leeberry689]

Anybody that can call matches with Vince McMahon and deal with his "what a maneuver" has to be good. And Jessie was damn good.

[@Ijustinsultedyou]

Lee Berry all Jesse did was provide color commentary. Vince actually called the match and did play by play. Two very different things. Vince was excellent at doing play by play. Only Gorilla, Vince, Ross and Cole have did play by play in the last 30 years. The other guy on the headset is the equivalent to a side car on a motorcycle

[@merleshand2442]

Vince sucked but not as bad as Cole

[@martinadrianarcenas867]

know what, growing up a wrestling fan, i always remembered the "what a maneuver" comment but only now found out that was mcmahon..lol

[@jasonsmith8300]

but not only did jim ross not suck hes the best commentator ever including ventura

[@StuUngar]

One.....Two AAAAANNNNNND

[@bettycorn9412]

When him and Vince did the commentary it was classic. .jessy was so rude...I loved it

[@zt1053]

Jim Ross had great chemistry with Jerry Lawler.

[@kayandaeddings4803]

zt1053 and, he also did some work with Bobby Heenan may Bobby rest in peace. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler was the best. I didn’t care for him with Paul Heyman though.

[@kenrickeason]

@@kayandaeddings4803 Certain People work well together certain people don't work well together.. Vince and Jesse worked well together just like J.R and Lawler worked well together..

[@kenrickeason]

@@kayandaeddings4803 Paul Haymen should just be a heel manager.. That's where his straights are..

[@Ijustinsultedyou]

zt1053 Lawler was a clown. All Lawler provided was color commentary, Ross did the play by play. Anybody can fill the color role that Lawler was and is in.

[@zt1053]

Iceman3000 When Lawler Left in 2001 there was a big void

[@robertcarrion4069]

I liked Ventura in WCW as much as anywhere. I did notice Jim had this odd way of just not responding or interacting with certain people. Maybe it was just the way he was back then. Ross was even worse with Schiavone than Ventura I felt. He was great with Paul E. as far as meshing. Obviously his WWF stuff was great. I dunno. I like JR, I'm just saying. I lived through it but go back, watch it. Two guys talking like the other isn't there. With Ventura and Tony.

[@TitleMatchWrestling]

Very well put. Loved Jesse's work in WWF & WCW. Big fan of Schiavone & Ross as well but some of the combinations fell flat for me too.

[@maths23]

Robert Carrion Watch wcw halloween havoc steiner brothers vs the nasty boys the chemistry between JR and Paul is funny.

[@kenterminateddq5311]

I think Jesse and JR worked together in XFL, did Ross ignored him too???

[@jamesmitchell1909]

I've heard he could be a dick at time Jim Ross that is.

[@MaxRockatansky853]

Very interesting the workings of solid stand up guy like Jesse. Watching his in the moment reassessment of Jim Ross was cool.

[@soulofanerd9364]

Agreed. That's just as real as it gets. Nothing but respect.

[@satanclaus8381]

Forget heel, to Jesse Ventura is hands down the best commentator ever.

[@lockedinnn]

We saw an example of two grown ass men in this last sequence.. Jim to be able to say “that one was on me.. I was bitter” and Jesse to in the moment.. have the ability to process it.. and modify his position on the spot…

[@maxmarc1000]

Jesse should never have to suck up to Jim Ross. He was by far the best heel color commentator WWE ever had.. Give the man his due credit.

[@jonmccormick8683]

Jesse always liked putting heels over -it was always funny.

[@funkyweapon1981]

Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat.

[@E2you]

Sean Ashmead my favorite quote ever.

[@robertcoggeshall3071]

Always outrageous excuses for it too, lol.

[@KJGrim]

I like at the end when he's talking about Jim Ross and how he was making more money than Ross! He says blame management not him! Its true! Same goes for Brock Lesnar! Fans piss and moan about Brock being champ and not wrestling as much,well again,blame Vince,not Lesnar! Brock was smart enough to work out the contract he wanted! Not his fault!

[@Deadpool_64]

I'm sure there's a major difference between the backstage attitudes of Jesse and Brock though.

[@normangrimm4581]

At the end of the day it's a business for the people working. To the fans it's entertainment.

[@patrickdoran180]

I loved Jesse in WCW. I never noticed it as a kid, but after re-watching some of it, it's so clear that JR was ignoring him.

[@fixpacifica]

McMahon and Ventura were very good together.

[@kenterminateddq5311]

I don't even have to read the comments below on attacking JR. They are probably saying that Ross is a Gordon Solie wannabe. I wouldn't go that far. That's like saying Lawler's humor makes him a Bobby Heenan wannabe. I like Ross but hey, if Ventura can respect JR, so can I.

[@borednow5838]

I actually liked Jesse and Ross. I thought the partnership worked well. Didn't really noticed Ross not interacting with him. I got the sense of that more him and Paul E. But then that spiky edge added to them as a team. I'd probably say Jesse was better in WWF, but I still enjoyed his WCW work.

[@kayandaeddings4803]

KenTerminatedbyGoogle well, we can say Mark Madden is a Jerry the King Lawler wannabe. Except for, Mark Madden Sucked, and he stunk.

[@R.Rileys-BION_Patreon-Podcast]

That was nice. Feel good interview with a happy ending.

[@rileysmith8693]

Man, Jim Ross n Jesse Ventura would be a commentary dream team if they got along

[@johnrosie9769]

Jesse Ventura is awesome as a commentator JR missed a great opportunity smh

[@snydesy]

I only Rank Jesse behind Gorilla and Bobby Henann on the mic

[@stephenkinq5425]

I recently watched Wargames 92 ... Everythyng Jesse said about the lack of Chemistry between He and Jim is very apparent ... I notice something was off , but now hearibg this , it all makes sense.

[@lukepotter575]

True. What does metzler know

[@MattSingh1]

More than you, and more than Ventura. Dave is a pioneer and legend.

[@TobeyStarburst]

@@MattSingh1 Dave is a piece of shit.

[@AxeDharme]

He's just another fan.

[@KegOfMeat]

Matthew Singh-Dosanjh oh yeah the guy who’s never been in the business knows more then someone who was in the ring and in the booth

[@williamdavies9634]

@@TobeyStarburst agreed 🤝

[@CraigSmithII]

Listening back at this interview, Jim Ross not putting Jesse over was a spin of what Paul Boesch did to JR. He said this on his Grilling With JR podcast. Boesch wouldn't let him talk . He said Bill Watts got mad with him when JR didn't put Houston over for Mid-South, JR had said he told Watts that his boy(Boesch) wouldn't let him get his shit in

[@roberthernandez782]

This happen at most jobs

[@josephbaker6169]

This man has always had a sharp tounge ,good luck trying debate or make him stumble very smart and witty

[@ryanatorryanson9535]

I’ve been in a situation where I worked with a guy doing the exact same job, but he made a lot more than me, for no other reason than he was buddies with the boss. It’s a tough situation to deal with, and it can create bitterness.

[@mikejejenich7116]

Jesse. Was one of the greatest on commentary him and monsoon Were amazing

[@JLvatron]

Jim Ross was notorious for his jealousy. Very bitter and that definitely affected his work.

[@colbycarroll7746]

He’s the greatest announcer of all time, cupcake

[@Deeky76]

@@colbycarroll7746 Errr absolutely *NOT*

[@Ditka-89]

@@colbycarroll7746 boring boring. I can literally name 3 guys from WWE alone that were more entertaining than him. Shit Vince McMahon was better than him!

[@jumbothompson]

Jim was great in WCW. His bah gawd Stone Cold stuff in WWF was a bit irritating as was Lawler. Jesse and Vince/Gorilla were the perfect pair. Jessie's commentary is one of the highlights of 80s WWF.

[@JLvatron]

@@jumbothompson Agree on Jesse being great and a trailbreaker as a bad guy commentator. But I never found him good, and he really turned awful with his irritating example you made. It really made him 1 of the worst.

[@nicholasbrown7068]

I'll take Jesse and Gorilla Monsoon any day over J.R and Lawler.

[@camj3557]

Absolutely!!!

[@0311Trucker]

Hell no

[@ericthomas917]

True I would too and I liked JR and the King and I think JR is the third best play by play announcer of all time behind Gordan Solie and Lance Russell

[@charles1964]

@Nicholas Brown (in Jesse's voice) "Well you know Mean Gene"...."I liked Tony Schiavone way better than J.R. on WCW"...

[@denisdemey9624]

YUP

[@JVLIVSPhoto]

Man, I miss JTBV. Hated him as a child, LOVE HIM as an adult! Would be nice if he was on the mic today.

[@BlasphometicHermetic]

Man, Jesse is awesome.

[@brianyoung8354]

This is what made my generations wrestlers THE CHARACTER ! Real men both Jesse and JR . I am glad u gave him props and allowed them to mend their friendship rather than inflame a nonexistant beef for ur own personal gain..... I may have a whole new outlook on journalists . Thank u!

[@controversialhunter8032]

Remember watching Jesse and Dutch Savage , Playboy , Jimmy Super Fly" my favorite " also set up the ring for free tickets at the convention center, Was asked to become a wrestler when I was only 13 or something like that. These were the kings of the ring when I was growing up, oh and can't forget to mention. Rowdy Piper, Andrea the Giant, Billy Jack m, Sandy Barr, RIP Oliver, Art Barr, Coco Soman, Dynomite Kidd, think there was a few Barr family members. Oh shit Rick Flair dudes an icon . Curt &Larry Henning. These guys went on to WWF/ wCw or something like that with the McMahon family. 30 40 yrs they all did it into their golden age 50 Rick Flair crazy basted think he did until he was almost 70. Never forget always remembered, may God bless you all.

[@benjaminmack3854]

Vince and Jesse were fire and paved the way for The King and JR

[@mox19380]

JR has acknowledged that this was a really bad time in general for him. jesse coming in with a huge contract was just salt on the wound. he acknowledges that he was jealous, angry with management and feeling he was being overlooked and under-used.

[@oscargrande1656]

Jesse takes his rocking chair everywhere

[@biganimetiddies1287]

My understanding is that Ross was dealing with some personal stuff at the time too, with alcoholism, his wife, and his living situation chiefly. They made him move to Atlanta and work crazy hours, all because Bill Watts was a "friend" of his and knew he could get away with it. I would've loved to see a Gorilla/Heenan dynamic with Ventura and JR, but things happened and that's just the way it is.

[@John-kr7iz]

"the little puke" love it when his inner SEAL comes out lol!

[@shaneluke5561]

It’s amazing how strong Jesse is mentally and really it’s not strength it’s just the truth but he has a way of recalling it so well

[@djwalruss4897]

Great interview with good questions, great answers and feedback.

[@scottclark2069]

Jesse and monsoon were my favorites on WWF Heenan was also great side kick!

[@randybarnett2308]

I liked when Ventura would goof on the wrestling, like he'd call Hogan the World Chump, or he'd say Lanny Poffo couldn't punch his way outta a wet paper bag!!! I'd get a ton of laughs out of listening to him, Jesse Ventura the best commentator ever!!👍💪👽

[@j2oaks]

My favorites were when he called JYD "the Fred Sanford of wrestling" and the time they were taping WWF at The Cow Palace and the camera zoomed in on some fat chick and Jesse quipped "now I know why they call it the cow palace". I was at The Cow Palace for that taping and I died when I saw the replay of that on Saturday morning weeks later.

[@randybarnett2308]

@@j2oaks I remember when he said that about JYD ,again no one like Ventura😃👍💪👽

[@funkyweapon1981]

@@j2oaks That's awesome.

[@vickrunalza8057]

Ventura & Schiovani was a great team.

[@patbrooks9823]

LOL at the "phoning it in" question. How many shoots did you guys do where you didn't set the mic up properly? 🤨

[@MarkGarza94]

What year is this interview???

[@stylechyld]

He did work with Jim Ross on starrcade 92.

[@LoveGuyAgain]

Him and jr real men he gotta whole new respect for jr keeping it 💯

[@davidjones6470]

The best heel announer of all time right there!!!!! Hands down

[@TNLable]

JR and Jesse Ventura on commentary is like mixing 2 kinds of different entities that once they mixed, it will be an void of paradox will form and everything in the world will be cancelled

[@tucoroto]

If you watch old WCW videos, you would notice that JR would not "play along" with Ventura. Also, he would talk about collegue football like 70% of the show which is/was annoying to listen too, lol.

[@cameroncrisamore2871]

Even Jesse doesn’t like Meltzer 😂

[@kienspicer4476]

Right on the money Jim Ross once said Vader or someone played in the Super bowl and Jesse called him a liar and said it's not true and Jim just got quiet no banter which was bad Jesse was King in the mic with Heenen want proof watch strike force first match he said why aren't they the Mexi-Can connection

[@onilaw6253]

Say what ever you want, but this man is an Icon❤️🙏

[@theceng]

The guy doing the interview should research before asking questions

[@ChannelEleven59]

Put over me? Him and Vince were great together.

[@soulofanerd9364]

I'm probably in the minority of people who NEVER enjoyed Jesse and Vince together. I thought they embodied everything that was corny about WWE to me. Jesse and Monsoon were more enjoyable for me and I also thought he and Tony Schiavone were great. I even liked him and JR although I can admit they never had a real chemistry. They're just both great at what they do individually. To me Jesse is the GOAT of wrestling color commentators and JR is the GOAT play by play guy.

[@AlreadyShort]

i like when he starts to get mad his head bobbles lol

[@pharoah418]

"What the hell does Meltzer know, the little puke.." 😂

[@kennethgriffin7921]

honest interviews = bret hart, jesse ventura, Stevie Ray, Jim cornette, Greg valentine BS interview = hulk hogan, ric flair, shawn michaels, Vince russo, Eric bichof

[@socl6534]

Honest interviews=Jake the snake Roberts.

[@Nightdare]

I think it's rather Ironic that Ventura, in another part of this interview, he proudly praised himself for wanted to unionize the WWF but somehow in this segment, finds it justified that he's getting paid more for making a better deal for himself

[@davidbernardi3410]

My takeaway from this is that Jesse doesn't care for Dave Meltzer

[@phillipconner1213]

No one care's for that little puke dave meltzer

[@Seriona1]

A lot of wrestlers are not fans of Dave Meltzer.

[@SegaDream131]

Thankfully I never knew about him..... Now that I do, it don't matter cause wrestling died long ago.... Fuck Meltzer.....

[@jbsmith8848]

Why anybody cares what Meltzer says blows my mind. He's just a wrestling fan who wrote blogs before they existed.

[@funkyweapon1981]

@@jbsmith8848 He's one of the reasons wrestling sucks nowadays. Everything's about "workrate" and stars, not money and drawing crowds.

[@denisdemey9624]

Even when I was younger I knew they didn't gel and there was tension.

[@itjustyouraveragecanadian9604]

When was this recorded?

[@killerjoe5628]

The interviewer basically asked a question to which he already knew the answer.

[@ivancorrea3368]

Jesse was a great 👍🏼 announcer and his skills are amazing 😉

[@Dakatari]

Jim Ross didn't believe in Jesse but hindsight Jim was the best announcer between the two

[@box5bastard277]

Vince and Jesse are the greatest team ever. Heel and face work excellence yell

[@WallStreetIceCream]

Rf Doesn’t want heat with meltzer 🤣🤣

[@draconian45]

Jesse Ventura was a much bigger star than Jim Ross so of course he'll make more money. The irony is now that Jim Ross is a huge star, he's making much bigger money than all the announcers in AEW -- which naturally he should.

[@josephprice3808]

Jesse and Vince are VERY underrated on the mic together in the late 80s, very early 90s. And I'm not a big fan of MacMahon. I enjoyed Vince alot, until he started feeling he needed to be the "character" of Vince MacMahon.

[@guyincognito5706]

I think working with a heel commentator was still new to JR. Jesse really was the first heel commentator, and I think JR being old school probably just got thrown off by it at the time.

[@stevejohnson1577]

Roddy piper in gcw?

[@benvinew6465]

Or you could go by what JR said himself and it was all about the money. Jesse was making more money and he didn't like that. I mean he said it himself.

[@YodaMiyagi]

Jim Ross would’ve been way better if he would’ve cooperated with Ventura on the mic

[@masterj4777]

Great wrestler & Great announcer 👍👍👍👍

[@michaelmidax8108]

I'm 25 & Jesse has always been one of my favorite ppl of all time. Brilliant guy, very intelligent, extremely talented, hell of a voice, I've always wanted to be like him.

[@stevesalt2921]

Love Jesse!!!

[@gogglespisano24]

It never gets old hearing Jesse Ventura call someone a puke.

[@belvinnadar5782]

Jesse was amazing in being the "pro heel" commentator. JR usually sided with babyfaces. Both are great IMO. I still remember JR hating Triple H from the bottom of his soul during the Attitude Era.

[@Head318Hunter]

Mr Ventura seems like a stand up guy. And a veteran like myself. Respect.

[@miak6859]

Thank you for your Service Sir May The LORD cause his face to Shine upon you Sir, and all Service Members

[@nick56677]

0:38 😂I agree. Fatrad Thompson, Meltzers soap boy, would've been raging at that comment

[@Grassyknolldallas]

He’s absolutely right go back and watch those shows with him and JR. JR would never answer a question and he would always be dismissive towards Jesse. Very unprofessional surprised they let it go on. It’s very obvious

[@kitfo18]

Jim Ross is one of the most honest and best men in wrestling. It is exactly why when Cody was asked why Jim Ross, his answer was perfect... "Because it's fucking Jim Ross!"

[@pantherhd1]

Jeremy T lol Jim Ross is snakey guy and bullshits a lot and got a lot wrestlers fired.

[@wadewilson8011]

If Jim Ross can't put you over, you're not going over.

[@dabigguy7788]

That's a shame about him and ross. I remember beach blast 92 and they seemed to work really well together.

[@maxmarc1000]

Jesse was an amazing commentator. I would listen to his commentary any day over pricks like michael cole and JBL

[@TheGAMESHARQ]

Jim Ross is extremely overrated, particularly by fans of the Attitude Era. Jesse Ventura was an infinitely better announcer than Jim Ross.

[@saltrisha1]

I never thought jim ross was that great,then again i grew up during the 80s,the golden era

[@keaddy123]

Jess was great in WCW! He's right, there was nobody that could play off his shtick! Tony S. Was good with him, but he didn't have Mcmahon's over the top style. Long live the Body!

[@neilefc877]

I love Jesse. I know Jerry Lawler is great but Jesse is still the best color guy for me

[@mdrhollywood99]

“What the hell does meltzer know, that little puke” 😂😂😂

[@BeeBumper]

Jessie was awesome on the mic

[@shawn_Dubya]

Jesse and Tony where awesome for me.

[@tuchehstone]

Honestly, I thought Jesse Ventura and Jim Ross brought out the best in each other. Now I understand why: their HATRED.

[@murrayshekelberg9754]

Jack Tunny needs to hire him back