The Sttaightshot- Good Ol' Company Man

THE STRAIGHTSHOT- Good Ol' Company Man
(By "The Straightshooter" Greg Andrews)


Even though his name comes up from time to time as someone Vince McMahon would rather not have around, Jim Ross might be the most loyal company man Vince ever had.

In over thirty years in the business, Ross has built a reputation as not only a great broadcaster and keen judge of wrestling talent, but a traditionalist of sorts whose views differ markedly from the Vince Russo's of the world.

However, this traditionalist viewpoint comes under duress every week on RAW as he not only witnesses, but describes antics I'd offer he disagrees with sharply.

Never one to be at a loss for words, Jim Ross manages to remain elusive when pressed on his website for his opinions regarding what passes as 'Sports Entertainment' nowadays, only offering carefully worded and veiled responses that in the end, make him look ignorant to what is going on.

Obviously, Jim Ross is not an ignorant man, nor is he ignorant of the fact that viewership has dropped quicker than Bill Murray's reputation. For all the talk about TNA's ratings, it is WWE that has lost nearly a full rating point over the last year and five to six full points in the eight years since WWE became a monopoly.

Yet, JR says little about it.

We can't blame him. Jim Ross has a family he'd like to take care of and a certain stature in the business I'm sure he has gotten quite accustomed to. No one expects him to suddenly erupt with repressed bile and venom for all he has had to endure while protecting himself, at least not until he has written a book after he's retired.

What we can blame JR for is his overzealousness in shilling for a dying wrestling company. Yes, profits are way up despite viewership lagging steadily, but WWE has become more a brand name to sell wares on and less a company offering professional wrestling. Every week, wrestling becomes less important to the central theme of bombarding viewers with as much 'entertainment' as possible, regardless of whether anyone is truly entertained.

In fact, when JR tells us that the bribe WWE is offering viewers is a long used trick in the entertainment industry, it only cements the problem of WWE resorting to tricks instead of substance to get us to watch.

It is understood that WWE prefers its fans to be of the highly influencial variety, ones easily manipulated into accepting what is put before them. Fans that have the audacity to question and complain whenever RAW resembles a bad Mad TV knockoff (or worse, an old Monday Nitro) are no longer wanted and are told so by a legion of other company men like JBL, who takes great pride in the fact that they rose to power simply by being around a long time.

I'm sure no one has any issue with Jim Ross selling his sauces, nuts and anything else found on his website, nor is there is any issue with his stories of encounters, moments and memories from his illustrious life in the industry.

The problem is that Jim Ross feels the need to take criticism that in most cases, is not without merit or validity and spin it into typical corporate rhetoric that further disconnects both him and the company he represents from those that support it. No one is arguing that the business has evolved, but at times it appears as if the the business is evolving itself out of business.

Lest anyone think I'm looking for personal recognition or adavancement, I'm not. I'm simply a longtime fan of the business that has become aware my opinion counts for nothing in the eyes of a corporation that likes to say the fans dictate their direction. I have no reason to lie or use hyperbole to get my points across. While the money is up, the ratings speak for themselves. There isn't much need to BS people when it is apparent from stock reports, that the future of WWE lies in other ventures loosely related to wrestling. Those of you steadfastly in the corner of WWE, I hear you, I've been there too when WCW threatened the WWF's existence. This time though, WWE won't be going out of business, they'll be moving on with business, away from anyone who just wanted to see a little more wrestling related activity and not so much irrelevant nonsense. Through this transition, it is safe to assume that JR will strike down anyone that dares shine a light on mistakes he knows full well are being made.

If you are reading this as an attack on Jim Ross for being a bad employee, you are reading it wrong. In fact as I mentioned, JR is an underappreciated asset who works tirelessly to support a company that never worked as hard to support him.

The mere idea that Vince McMahon might have problems with JR for whatever reason only serves to show how he perceives those that work hard to keep money flowing into his account every year. It also underscores the problem WWE has right now with its audience, they aren't listening to what their customers want.

Unfortunately, Jim Ross is as guilty of that as anyone in WWE. He has a website filled with his customer's concerns and how does assure us he is listening? By turning it around on them and in some cases, encouraging them to move on from WWE.

Well JR, nearly a full ratings point worth of your disgruntled patrons have taken your advice and moved on with their lives. None of them were influenced by what I or any other Internet 'smart' had to say.

It was the only way they had left to let you know how they felt.


(Questions, comments or thoughts? Send them to straightshooter72@hotmail.com)




Advertisement: