Former WWE Star and current AEW commentator "Good Ole' J.R." Jim Ross recently spoke on his "Grilling JR" podcast on the infamous interview he had with WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley in 1997, which was the turning point of his career. Jim Ross also revealed that this was the same interview where one of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon’s most famous line originated from.
Jim Ross said:
“We didn’t know Vince was even going to be there, we had no idea.” “That’s where the famous line that came from Vince, where we got to a certain stopping point and heard this voice and it’s unmistakably Vince saying ‘This is good s--t.’ At that point, Mick is made."
“He just sold the old man. I don’t know what his thoughts would be if you asked him today, but at that time, he had turned the corner. He got the blessing of the most powerful man in all of pro wrestling. Vince being there was a surprise, a pleasant surprise. When we were done, he was ecstatic. That was a big deal, that was a real big deal.”
Jim Ross then talked about Mick Foley's style of taking big risks and putting his body through all of the pain as that was his style of doing things, but he and Vince McMahon talking to him and trying to convince him to change his ways, but he wouldn't listen.
Jim Ross said:
“It’s hard to correct things that have already happened,” “He had no filter. He always wanted to please the fans, he always wanted to do more for the guy he was working with. Mick was a very unselfish performer. But yeah, we had those conversations [about him doing less stunts], it’s like the one Vince had with him after Hell in a Cell [with Undertaker] ‘We’ll never ever come close to doing this again.’"
“I talked to Mick about that several times, sometimes he would do too many things. You keep taking big chances, somewhere along the way you’re going to get your ass blown up. Limit your chances, eliminate as many of these opportunities to put yourself in the hospital and affect your career going forward. I don’t want to say he didn’t listen, I know Mick appreciated the concern that we all had for him, especially me, because I put my reputation on the line to get him hired. But, you couldn’t convince him, he only had one style. He would listen, he would thank me for the concern or anybody else that was speaking to him but it wasn’t going to matter. He was a wild horse, he’s going to run.”
JR then talked about the Hell in a Cell Match between the Undertaker and Mick Foley as Mankind and it would have not gone the way it did with Foley being thrown off and through the cell if he was the one put in charge.
Jim Ross said:
“I would’ve screwed up history.” “If it would’ve been solely up to me, it would’ve never happened. The risk/reward is to finite. How do you get up from that? How do you not break something? How do you not destroy body parts? Something has got to give here. You don’t learn to do this in wrestling school. I would’ve said no, the risk is too high based on the risk/reward ratio. I’m glad I didn’t have a vote on it, I didn’t know he was going to do the damn thing. That’s what’s beautiful about it, I didn’t even know that spot was in the match. At the end of the day, I guess it worked out well, we’re still talking about it in 2021. I know Vince after it was over, he said we’re never doing something like this ever again. You just can’t follow it. It’s just too dangerous.”
