During his latest Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross responded to Seth Rollins’ recent comments about AEW being a minor league:
“You’re right, I’m pissed off about it. Here’s what I’m pissed off about: Number one, it doesn’t do any favors for our business. Our business in general, any promotion in the total of all the pro wrestling business it’s bigger than any individual. Now I’m not inferring that Seth thinks he’s bigger than the business,” Ross said, “but by what he says sometimes, you can make that assessment, rightly or wrongly, but it’s not a classy thing to say, for an athlete of his designation.”
“As another Hall of Famer has mentioned to me, it’s not about the individuals being over or drawing the house or selling out, it’s about the WWE brand selling out. Hence, the best illustration is WrestleMania. The brand name WrestleMania and the parent company, the big dog in the yard, WWE is what sells tickets to WrestleMania under the auspices that they’re going to do deliver a special show, opponents and participants to be named. But Rollins is in a great spot, he’s blessed, maybe someday he’ll be as over as his girlfriend, I don’t know, but nonetheless, I’ve always liked his work. He’s a solid guy, he’s a solid guy, but saying things like that make him look bad and for that I feel bad for him. I just do.”