Jim Ross


James William Ross is an American professional wrestling commentator, sports announcer, and podcaster. He is signed with All Elite Wrestling, where he serves as a commentator as well as an analyst and senior advisor. Ross is best known for a long and distinguished career as a play-by-play commentator for WWE. Known affectionately by WWE fans as "Good Ol' JR", Ross has been labeled as the greatest wrestling commentator of all time. Ross, while in WWE, was occasionally involved in storylines and also participated in nine wrestling matches from 1999 to 2011.
After years of working various jobs in the professional wrestling industry, Ross became the primary play-by-play announcer for Mid-South Wrestling in the early 1980s. He went on to do commentary for the National Wrestling Alliance 's World Championship Wrestling territory, before jumping to the World Wrestling Federation, making his first appearance for the promotion at WrestleMania IX in 1993. During his tenure with WWF/WWE, Ross was widely regarded as the voice of the company, particularly during the Attitude Era of the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was also the lead English-language announcer for New Japan Pro-Wrestling on AXS TV from 2015 to 2018 and has occasionally done play-by-play for boxing and mixed martial arts fights. He has been inducted into the WWE, NWA and Wrestling Observer Newsletter halls of fame, and has been honored by the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame twice.
Outside of wrestling, Ross is known for his barbecue sauce and beef jerky brand, J.R.'s Family BBQ. He also hosts his own weekly podcast, Grilling JR.

Early life

James William Ross was born on January 3, 1952, in Fort Bragg, California. He is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, tracing his ancestry to family members who arrived in Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. In 2022, Ross sold land originally allotted to his great-great-grandfather by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Ross was raised in Westville, Oklahoma, where his maternal grandparents operated a general store. His paternal grandfather, Dee Ross, worked as a carpenter and owned an off-sale beer establishment. At Westville High School, Ross was active in athletics and student leadership. He played first base for the school's baseball team and was a two-time all-conference football player for the Westville Yellowjackets during the 1968 and 1969 seasons. He also served as student body president and earned four varsity letters in basketball.
Beyond athletics, Ross was heavily involved in the Future Farmers of America. He won the Oklahoma FFA Speech Championship in both 1968 and 1969 and placed as runner-up in the national competition in 1969. That same year, he was elected treasurer of Oklahoma Boys State and was nominated by Representative Wiley Sparkman to serve as a page in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. In 1970, he received the FFA State Degree—the organization's second-highest honor—and was elected vice president of the FFA Northeast District. He was also named honorable mention center on the Tulsa World's 1969 Oklahoma High School All-State Football team.
Academically, Ross was inducted into the National Honor Society as a sophomore and received recognition for maintaining a 3.6 GPA during his junior year. After high school, he remained involved in athletics by officiating high school and college baseball, football, and basketball games across Oklahoma for 18 years.

Broadcasting career

Professional wrestling

NWA Tri-State, Mid-South Wrestling, and Universal Wrestling Federation (1974–1987)

While attending Northeastern State University, Ross gained early broadcasting experience by working for the college radio station. This background led to his entry into professional wrestling commentary when he was offered a position with the local NWA Tri-State promotion, stepping in for an announcer who was unexpectedly unavailable for an event.
Ross began his career with the promotion in 1974 as a referee, a role he held until 1977 before transitioning to the broadcast team. Following Bill Watts's acquisition of NWA Tri-State in 1982 and its rebranding as Mid-South Wrestling, Ross was promoted to lead play-by-play announcer. He also assumed administrative responsibilities as the promotion's Vice President of Marketing. During his tenure, he called his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship match, featuring Ric Flair and Ted DiBiase.

Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling (1987–1993)

In 1987, following Jim Crockett Jr.'s acquisition of the Universal Wrestling Federation and its merger with Jim Crockett Promotions, Ross joined the newly combined organization as a color commentator. He worked alongside David Crockett and Tony Schiavone and was soon promoted to lead play-by-play announcer for the National Wrestling Alliance.
Ross continued in this role as JCP was purchased by Turner Broadcasting System and rebranded to World Championship Wrestling. Following WCW's departure from the NWA in 1991, Ross was paired with longtime NWA commentator Bob Caudle, and also Paul E. Dangerously. Around this time, Ross briefly expanded into mainstream sports broadcasting, serving as a commentator for one season of Atlanta Falcons radio coverage in 1992.
Over time, Ross advanced to become WCW's head of broadcasting. However, his tenure was marked by a strained professional relationship with Eric Bischoff, a rising commentator and future executive. Ross later claimed that Bischoff effectively promoted himself to WCW's leadership, ultimately leading to a shift in internal dynamics. Conversely, Bischoff alleged that Ross had shown favoritism under the direction of then-WCW booker Bill Watts. In 1993, after Bischoff was promoted to executive producer, Ross requested and was granted a release from his contract. Although Ross had a three-year agreement with Turner Broadcasting System, he opted for an immediate buyout, citing concerns that he would be side-lined from on-air work for an extended period. According to wrestler Mick Foley, Ross also resigned from WCW's booking committee around this time. He officially departed WCW after being removed from television by Bischoff.

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (1993–2013)

Jim Ross joined the World Wrestling Federation in early 1993 and made his on-screen debut at WrestleMania IX, held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He replaced Gorilla Monsoon on Wrestling Challenge and worked with Bobby Heenan until Heenan's departure later that year. Ross also called major pay-per-view events, including WrestleMania IX and King of the Ring, before Vince McMahon resumed lead commentary duties beginning with SummerSlam 1993.
Ross pitched the idea for Radio WWF, a short-lived radio program where he and Gorilla Monsoon discussed wrestling news and interviewed talent. They also called select events such as SummerSlam, Survivor Series 1993, and the 1994 Royal Rumble for the broadcast.
While acknowledging the weakened influence Vince McMahon was getting as a result of the government investigation against him and some major changes to WWF talent which occurred in tandem with his debut in the company, such as Luna Vachon now being able to use her "bizarro type" gimmick after debuting at Wrestlemania IX, "The Lone Riders" Kip Winchester and Brett Colt being able to debut in the company just after Wrestlemania IX under revamped Billy and Bart Gunn and being given the cowboy-themed tag team gimmick The Smoking Gunns, Bryan Clark being revamped as "Adam Bomb," and also Mike Shaw, who Ross previously got signed to WCW as "Norman the Lunatic," being signed to the WWF-where he became known as "The Bastion Booger"-, Ross has stated that he was at the time only employed as an on-screen talent. Barrett Media also described Ross' relationship with the WWF at this time as a "roller coaster ride."
In January 1994, Ross suffered his first bout of Bell's palsy. He was released by the company two weeks later, on February 11. Afterward, Ross worked as an announcer for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, reuniting with longtime broadcast partner Bob Caudle, and resumed duties with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.
Ross was briefly rehired in mid-1994 during Vince McMahon's federal trial, providing commentary on Monday Night Raw alongside Randy Savage while McMahon was absent. After McMahon's acquittal, Ross was released again, reportedly due to leaking company information. He returned once more to Smoky Mountain Wrestling.
In December 1994, Ross rejoined WWF for a third time. Initially relegated to syndicated programming, he returned to the main announce team in 1996. That September, Ross turned heel in an on-screen storyline where he claimed to be bringing back Razor Ramon and Diesel—characters previously portrayed by Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. On Raw, he delivered a worked-shoot promo criticizing Vince McMahon and introduced new performers in those roles. The angle was widely panned and dropped soon after.
Following this, Ross resumed his commentary duties across various shows, including Superstars, Action Zone, Raw Is War, and Shotgun Saturday Night. In December 1998, while broadcasting Capital Carnage in London, he suffered a second Bell's palsy attack shortly after learning of his mother's death. He returned to Raw on March 8, 1999, in a storyline where he confronted Michael Cole, his on-air replacement. Ross claimed he had been fired because of his condition and tried to reclaim his commentary role, even setting up his own desk labeled "JR Is Raw". The crowd support led the WWF to reinstate Ross permanently, starting with WrestleMania XV.
Later that year, WCW parodied Ross's condition through a controversial character named "Oklahoma", portrayed by Ed Ferrara. The parody was widely criticized, and WCW discontinued it following intervention by Turner Standards and Practices. Though offended, Ross later said he did not hold Ferrara personally responsible.
In 2001, Ross was assigned to the commentary team for WWF's XFL football league. Initially on regional broadcasts with Jerry Lawler, Ross was later promoted to lead the national telecast alongside Jesse Ventura after the original host, Matt Vasgersian, publicly criticized the production. Ross returned to regional broadcasts midway through the season.
Throughout the Monday Night War, Ross became recognized as the voice of Raw, forming a legendary commentary team with Lawler. After WWE introduced a brand split in 2002, Ross worked exclusively on Raw and its pay-per-views.
Outside commentary, Ross served as Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, where he was key in hiring and developing talent. He stepped away from his executive roles in 2005, citing health, family, and personal business goals.
In October 2005, Ross was written off television after being "fired" by Vince and Linda McMahon. In reality, he needed time off for colon surgery. Joey Styles filled in during Ross's recovery. Ross returned in 2006 to call Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII, WrestleMania 22, and Backlash, and resumed his position on Raw in May after Styles exited in a storyline.
Ross's contract expired in October 2006, but he continued on a week-to-week basis until signing a one-year deal in November. On March 31, 2007, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
In the 2008 WWE Draft, Ross was unexpectedly moved from Raw to SmackDown, ending his 12-year run on the red brand. He was initially unhappy, stating he had not been informed of the decision, but later pledged to help make SmackDown the best show possible.
Ross made a one-night appearance on ECW in September 2008 and later became SmackDown's color commentator alongside Todd Grisham. His final full-time commentary appearance was Hell in a Cell on October 4, 2009. He suffered a third Bell's palsy attack later that month and took a leave from broadcasting.
Ross returned sporadically over the next few years. He appeared on the Old School Raw special in 2010 and resumed commentary in early 2011 during Jerry Lawler's feud with Michael Cole. He appeared at WrestleMania XXVII and other episodes of Raw, but was again "fired" in a storyline by John Laurinaitis. Ross later claimed he was not informed in advance about the firing. He returned briefly for matches and comedy segments through the remainder of 2011.
At WrestleMania XXVIII in 2012, Ross called the "End of an Era" Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and Triple H. He also contributed to Raw 1000 and began commentating on the revamped NXT, joining Byron Saxton and William Regal. That same year, Paul Levesque appointed Ross as an adviser and scout for Talent Relations. After Lawler's on-air heart attack on September 10, Ross filled in during his recovery. He was honored in his hometown during Raw on October 1, dubbed "JR Appreciation Night".
In 2013, Ross began mentoring new commentators at the WWE Performance Center. He returned for the 20th Anniversary of Raw.
On August 16, 2013, Ross hosted a WWE 2K14 panel where he appeared visibly fatigued and made unscripted comments, including criticism of a sponsor. Ric Flair, also on the panel, made controversial remarks. On September 11, Ross announced his departure from WWE, stating that his contract had expired. Though it was widely speculated that the panel led to his release, Ross later said that it was his comment about the sponsor that caused concern. He also denied being intoxicated, attributing his demeanor to Bell's palsy-related fatigue. Vince McMahon later confirmed the situation contributed to Ross's exit but said Ross left on his own terms and there was no lingering tension between them.