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Jim Ross worked closely with Vince McMahon during his combined 23 years as a WWE commentator and executive. In a recent podcast episode, the legendary announcer gave his take on why Sean O'Haire failed to impress McMahon.
O'Haire made his name in WCW in 2000 and 2001 before joining WWE. Chuck Palumbo's former tag team partner worked with several big names during his three-year WWE run, including Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper. However, he did not fulfill the early potential he showed in WCW.
On his Grilling JR podcast, Ross said O'Haire developed a bad reputation backstage:
"You have to gain the confidence of the primary decision-maker, which is another word for Vince. And, for whatever reason, the rep on Sean O'Haire was not good. I don't know if it was attitudinal or just his lack of social skills. I don't know. I really don't know. But I'm like you, Conrad [host Conrad Thompson], if you just look at an eight by 10 or a publicity photo of this kid, you say, 'Well, he's a can't-miss guy!''' [1:12:51 – 1:13:18]
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O'Haire did not hold any championships as a WWE Superstar. In WCW, he won the tag titles once with Palumbo and twice with Mark Jindrak.
Jim Ross on Sean O'Haire's inability to connect with fans
Despite his impressive appearance and physique, Sean O'Haire sometimes struggled to elicit reactions from WWE crowds.
Jim Ross claimed O'Haire's problem connecting with audiences ultimately cost him his job:
"It just didn't translate, and there's various reasons why things don't translate. It generally comes back to, at the end of the day, a talent just not being able to embrace their audience and grow that audience." [1:13:32 – 1:13:47]
In his final WWE match, O'Haire defeated Eric Schippreit on the November 29, 2003, episode of Velocity. The former WCW star passed away on September 8, 2014, at the age of 43.
Please credit Grilling JR and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use Jim Ross' quotes from this article.
