Jim Ross revealed last week that he has yet to connect with AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Mone. On this week’s “Grilling JR” podcast, Ross clarified his comments.
“One thing that’s on my mind that I want to clear up. I said something regarding Mercedes Mone that, you know, she had not rung my bell, shall we say. That was no disrespect meant to her. It’s all depending on how you’re booked and who you’re working with, and the scenario, the storyline. I think she’s been short of storyline, and so therefore I haven’t got to feel that grit and that aggression. She’s very athletic and she’s a beautiful woman, but golly, she could be used a lot more efficiently, I think. I’m not knocking the company, but she’s a significant investment. I’m anxious to see how it all works out. At some point in time, she’s got to lose and lose a title, lose one of those belts, I guess. But we’re lucky to have her. She’s very personable. She takes a lot of pride in what she wears and her music and all those things that a lot of talents just take for granted and move on about their business. Not her. She pays attention. I’m just saying that how she has been booked and the opponents that she’s worked with, she’s done a series of one-offs, and that’s hard to get over when you’re doing a series of one-offs. You don’t have time to sink your teeth into a personal issue, and if you don’t have a personal issue, in my world, where good old JR resides, personal issues are everything, and to have a great personal issue, one has to have several instances where you are competing or fighting or brawling or whatever with your adversary. I’m a big fan of her work. It’s just, I think, you know, she could be even more effective. The best is yet to come for her. So I just want to clear that up.”
On why he remained quiet during the Jon Moxley – Bryan Danielson angle on the WrestleDream show:
“Sometimes it’s best for one to just lay out. At the end of the match, I was silent because I didn’t know what I needed to say to continue to sell the moment and the fact that Bryan Danielson, by his own words, said the day he loses the title is the day he’s done, and he obviously lost the title. So I take any wrestler I ever met at his word. I didn’t know what to say. There was nothing I could add that would help it. The pictures and the natural sounds, in my opinion, told the story very well. So that’s why I laid out at the very end. I know Excalibur got very emotional. He cried. I didn’t get that far into it, but I appreciate his passion.”
On whether he feels Taz will have another match after his knee replacement surgery:
“When he gets healed, his job is sitting right there waiting for him. His chair will not be filled, as I understand it, until he gets back. So good for him. I know he was in a lot of pain over the years. He took a lot of bumps and had a lot of bruises and all that good stuff. He got it fixed, and it’s not the fact he got it fixed so he could wrestle again. I don’t expect to ever see Taz in another match. He’s not interested in it, seemingly, at least that’s what he and I have discussed. He just wanted to get out of the pain where he could have a normal life and walk like a normal human”
You can check out the complete podcast below:
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
