Jim Ross Talks Whether or Not Wrestling is Dictated By the Fans, Daniel Bryan’s ‘Mania Spot, CM Punk’s Draw in UFC, Recruiting and More

March 22, 2015

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently appeared on The Last Gentlemen Podcast with host Jay Brody. The following are some interview highlights, and you can listen to the entire podcast at TheLastGentlemenPodcast.com

On whether the wrestling business is dictated by the fans, and why Daniel Bryan is main eventing house shows, but not WrestleMania:

“Its a coach’s decision… In their view that’s the best utilization of Daniel Bryan. In the WWE, The Intercontinental Title has been very tepid…. [The Belt] could mean more… Maybe Daniel Bryan wins the ladder match at Wrestlemania, and becomes the Intercontinental Champion and actually has the title long enough to make it mean something… You also got a guy that’s in the eyes of many, a little undersized, and now unfortunately for him…. I don’t know how his health is… Whether he’s still on pins and needles…There’s probably more to the story then you and I know about.”

On the current commentators:

“Like any other talent, you follow the producer, if your unwilling to compromise your style you’re more then likely to be replaced…. The announcers today are a reflection on how they are being produced. They are following their orders….”

On CM Punk possibly not hitting a UFC buyrate that he might be expecting:

“It would probably be a very productive pay-per-view if Punk and [Brock] Lesnar were both on the same one….. The irony is that while neither of them are seemingly emotionally invested in the wrestling business any longer, which does alienate that fan base from you… They are both counting on that fan base to set those records.”

Recruiting pro wrestlers, specifically former athletes:

“I’d wanna talk to every coach they ever had, I’d wanna talk to their parents, to their teammates, if I’m going to invest money in a player, id wanna know as much as I humanly possibly can, before I offer them a contract. That’s where a lot of mistakes were made.”

Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.

Nick attended New York University and graduated in 2001 with a degree in Drama.

Nick first entered the internet wrestling community back in 2004 when he became the co-host of The Voice of Wrestling Radio Show. From there, Nick made the transition from radio personality to editor when he began working with WrestleZone in 2008.

Nick is a member of two Off-Broadway theatre companies, Another Urban Riff, and the Drama Desk Award winning Godlight Theatre Company. Nick has appeared in over a dozen Off-Broadway plays since he moved to New York City, and has shot several short and feature length films. In 2010, he completed principle photography on a film titled "How to Score Your Life," which also features TNA Knockout ODB.

Inspiration in his life has come from many people including his family, Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg, Jack Nicholson, The Beatles, and of course, Lassie.