WWE legend took $100,000 pay cut on Vince McMahon's orders, Jim Ross recalls

Jim Ross worked closely with Vince McMahon during his days as a WWE commentator and talent relations executive. The current AEW announcer recently shed light on when his former boss instructed him to cut Jeff Jarrett's salary.

Jarrett appeared regularly on WWE television between 1992 and 1999. The 57-year-old won several titles during that time, including the Intercontinental Championship on six occasions.

On his Grilling JR podcast, Ross recalled how McMahon once told him to reduce Jarrett's annual downside guarantee from $350,000 to $250,000:

"To pare back a little bit and downsize, just to prepare for the eventuality that things will not always be great, so that's kinda what we had there. That was Vince's call. Of course, I get to be the messenger, but I didn't create the scenario. I created the process on McMahon's orders, and Jeff was just caught there." [14:16 – 14:46]

Ross also revealed how others in WWE perceived Jarrett after he badmouthed Stone Cold Steve Austin during a RAW promo in 1997.

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Jim Ross justifies Vince McMahon's pay cut decision

Jeff Jarrett left WWE in 1999 and did not return to the company until he received a Hall of Fame induction in 2018.

Although Jarrett did not stick around for long after the pay cut, Jim Ross believes Vince McMahon still offered his talents a fair wage:

"That's a good living, especially when you don't have any ceiling. You can make as much as you want. How often can you work? Are you healthy? Are you productive? He could do all those things. So it was inevitable to me that Jeff was gonna far exceed his downside guarantee as long as we kept him booked, and I had every intention to keep Jeff booked." [14:48 – 15:14]

Later in the episode, Ross clarified rumors he and 14-time WWE world champion Triple H have "hated" each other for years.

What are your thoughts on Jim Ross' comments? Hit the discuss button and let us know.

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Please credit Grilling JR and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.