"I wasn’t drunk" - 49-year wrestling veteran clears the air on his WWE departure

Wrestling veteran and Hall of Famer cleared the air about the infamous WWE 2K14 event, which led to his departure from the promotion. The veteran in question is Jim Ross.

Ross is a veteran in the wrestling world and worked in promotion for several years, making a name for himself as a commentator. On August 16, 2013, the promotion hosted a special panel discussion to promote WWE 2K14, featuring stars such as Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Mick Foley, Paul Heyman, Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair, and Steve Austin.

The event took an unexpected turn as Ross continually mocked the script he was given and showed a lack of interest in the discussion topics. He even struggled to manage an intoxicated Ric Flair on stage, who referred to John Cena as a 'hardcore drinker."

Following this incident, Vince McMahon decided not to extend Jim Ross' contract, as it was suspected that Ross himself was also intoxicated at the event.

Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross denied being drunk but admitted to having a cocktail during the event.

"I had too much fun, but it didn’t work out too well. I wasn’t drunk. I had a cocktail, but so did everybody else. And I don’t know if that’s a good, bad, or indifferent, it’s what it was," Ross said. [H/T - SESCOOPS]

Check out the infamous event below:

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Wrestling veteran Jim Ross opens up about the infamous WWE 2K14 event

Following his behavior at the 2K14 event, Jim Ross officially announced his retirement from WWE on September 11, 2013, as his contract had expired and was not to be renewed.

Speaking on his podcast, Ross said it wasn't a good day and admitted he should not have made negative remarks.

"It really wasn't a good day at the office whatsoever. I feel badly about that. I feel badly about my performance. I feel badly about how I represented myself and the company. It was my fault. I tried to be entertaining and so forth because some of the material that had been written by non-wrestling people was not good."

After leaving the promotion, Ross went on to commentate on various wrestling promotions, including NJPW and World of Sport Wrestling. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling as a commentator.

What are your thoughts on Jim Ross' commentary in AEW? Sound off in the comments section below.