What’s the story?
In an interview with AVClub.com, Jim Ross revealed that at WrestleMania 33, he met The Undertaker backstage before going on to call the Deadman’s final match and the two subsequently also shared an emotional moment together after the match was over.
In case you didn’t know...
Jim Ross is a WWE Hall of Famer and has been hailed as one of the greatest announcers in the history of professional wrestling.
A few days prior to WrestleMania 33, Ross had gone through a massive personal tragedy, losing his wife Jan Ross in a road accident. Despite the incident, JR went on to fulfil all his pre-booked commitments and obligations for the WrestleMania weekend in Orlando, Florida, including his appearance and commentary at WrestleMania 33.
At WrestleMania, Ross entered the Citrus Bowl stadium to a thunderous ovation and commentated on what many believe was The Undertaker’s last match in the WWE.
The heart of the matter
The Undertaker, as per Jim Ross, had specifically requested Vince McMahon to get Ross to commentate on his match against Reigns at WrestleMania 33. In the interview, Ross called it the “greatest honour” that he had ever received.
“What he (The Undertaker) helped facilitate for me was the greatest honor I have received in wrestling.
I’ve been in three Halls Of Fame, and they pale in comparison to having a legendary guy wanting to bring me back—whether I was under contract or not—to be part of the broadcast team, so I can add to his soundtrack of that match.
It was a really emotional day.”
During the interview, Ross spoke about meeting The Undertaker in the latter’s RV, hours before WrestleMania 33 kicked off.
“I went in his RV when I arrived hours before we were going on. So we had a very good personal conversation. We’ve been joined at the hip for a long, long time, even back to the WCW days.
I helped get him into WCW from World Class Championship Wrestling.”
Describing The Undertaker in his youth as an athletic beast, Ross then spoke about meeting The Deadman after his WrestleMania 33 defeat against Roman Reigns and getting emotional in the process:
“So we had a nice conversation. [And after the match], a big hug afterwards. I cried, he didn’t want to cry, though he might have had a tear. It was very emotional for him afterwards, and I didn’t want to monopolise his time.
It sure as hell wasn’t about me, it was about him.”
Ross would go on to thank Vince McMahon for the opportunity as well, and was quoted as saying:
“I was told by others that Mark and Vince collaborated, and they talked about it.
Mark had a suggestion, Vince thought it was a great idea. Look, there’s one captain of the ship, and I give Vince a hell of a lot of credit because if it wasn’t for him facilitating it, it wouldn’t have happened.
I’m very grateful for both guys. It was quite the honour.”
Ross has also stated, in a separate interview, that his commentary for the match between Roman Reigns and The Undertaker was completely impromptu and that he had done it without any notes.
What’s next?
Jim Ross has been signed to a two-year deal with the WWE and is scheduled to work 40 dates as part of his contract. As per Ross, he is ready for anything that the WWE would like to throw his way and would not mind filling in for any of the shows.
Also read: WWE News: Jim Ross talks about WWE Hall of Fame induction for Chris Benoit
With Mauro Ranallo’s rumoured departure from the company, JR might be asked to take on commentary duties for more dates. It is all still speculation at this point, however.
The Undertaker, on the other hand, appears to have retired from in-ring action. Although there has been no official confirmation on the same, with fellow WWE Superstar Kane claiming in a recent interview that The Undertaker’s retirement was yet “to be determined”.
Author’s take
Jim Ross and The Undertaker have been cornerstones of the WWE product for a long, long time. The two legends certainly share a bond with each other and it’s very heartening to hear about their interaction from Ross himself.
The respect that Ross and The Undertaker have for each other runs deep and is evident in the way Ross has described their interaction.
With all the disheartening news that has been coming out of the WWE off late, it’s good to see the positivity of shared respect and emotion, for once. With Good Ol’ JR now back in the WWE, I’m looking forward to seeing how the Hall of Famer transforms the landscape of WWE commentary.
As far as the Undertaker is concerned, he deserves a fitting send-off, which I’m sure will come his way once the status of his career has been cleared. We wish him the best.
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