When did Jim Ross kickstart his WWE commentary career? All about the legend's wrestling contributions 

Legendary wrestling commentator Jim Ross recently announced this year would be his final year in the business. Ross, 72, currently commentates for All Elite Wrestling. However, throughout his career, Ross contributed to several wrestling promotions and is notably known for his time with WWE.

It's in the Stamford-based promotion where the 72-year-old made a name for himself. After collecting experience working for promotions like NWA Tri-State, Jim Crockett Promotions, and WCW, Ross was hired by WWE in 1993.

However, his first run didn't last long as he was fired in just two weeks after he suffered from an attack of Bell's palsy in 1994. While Ross landed a few other commentary gigs during this time, he was re-hired later in the same year, and this time, the 72-year-old's association with the Stamford-based promotion lasted for 19 years.

During these 19 years, Jim Ross created an unique identity for himself and was considered to be the voice of wrestling. While he left the promotion in 2014 and worked briefly for NJPW, he returned to WWE for a run that lasted two years between 2017 and 2019.

Having elected to not renew his contract with the Stamford-based promotion, the iconic commentator joined Tony Khan's AEW in 2019. Since joining the Jacksonville-based promotion, Ross has been a constant feature for them and will finally call it a day in the Tony Khan-led promotion.

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Bloodline member recently acknowledged Jim Ross

The beauty of professional wrestling is the relationship superstars share outside the ring. Given Jim Ross' stature and experience in wrestling and commentary, he left a profound impact on several massive stars. One such star Ross influenced is The Bloodline member and iconic WWE manager, Paul Heyman.

Recently, WWE announced Heyman would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2024. Jim Ross, on his podcast Grilling JR, gave a heartwarming reaction to the same, and Paul Heyman replied with a moving Instagram story. Heyman credited Ross for teaching him about color commentary. The Wiseman wrote:

“I had absolutely ZERO CLUE how to be a color commentator until @jimrossbbq took me under his wing."

Heyman did learn plenty from Jim Ross as he too became an excellent commentator during his time. As Ross' wrestling career comes to an end this year, there will be several notable wrestling personalities who will share stories of how the 72-year-old impacted their careers.