Jim Ross facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jim Ross |
|
|---|---|
Ross in 2025
|
|
| Birth name | James William Ross |
| Born | January 3, 1952 Fort Bragg, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Northeastern State University |
| Spouse(s) |
Jan Grillette
(m. 1993; died 2017) |
| Children | 2 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Jim Ross |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Billed weight | 258 lb (117 kg) |
| Billed from | Norman, Oklahoma |
| Debut | 1974 |
| YouTube information | |
| Years active | 2020–present |
| Genre | Professional wrestling |
| Subscribers | 109 thousand |
| Total views | 31.4 million |
| Subscriber and view counts updated as of December 9, 2024. | |
James William Ross (born January 3, 1952) is an American professional wrestling commentator, sports announcer, and podcaster. He works for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator, analyst, and senior advisor. Jim Ross is most famous for his long and successful career as a play-by-play commentator for WWE. Fans often call him "Good Ol' JR." Many people believe he is the greatest wrestling commentator ever. While in WWE, Ross sometimes took part in wrestling stories and even had nine wrestling matches between 1999 and 2011.
After working in different jobs in wrestling for many years, Ross became the main announcer for Mid-South Wrestling in the early 1980s. He then worked for National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'s World Championship Wrestling before joining the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which is now WWE. His first appearance for WWF was at WrestleMania IX in 1993. During his time with WWF/WWE, Ross was known as the voice of the company, especially during the Attitude Era in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He also announced for New Japan Pro-Wrestling on AXS TV from 2015 to 2018. Sometimes, he has also announced for boxing and mixed martial arts fights. He has been honored in the WWE, NWA, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter halls of fame. He has also received awards from the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame twice.
Outside of wrestling, Ross is known for his barbecue sauce and beef jerky brand, J.R.'s Family BBQ. He also hosts his own weekly podcast called Grilling JR.
Contents
Early Life and School
James William Ross was born on January 3, 1952, in Fort Bragg, California. He is a member of the Cherokee Nation. His family came to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. In 2022, Ross sold land that was originally given to his great-great-grandfather.
Ross grew up in Westville, Oklahoma. His grandparents ran a general store there. His grandfather, Dee Ross, was a carpenter and owned a beer store. At Westville High School, Ross was very active in sports and student leadership. He played first base on the baseball team. He was also an all-conference football player for the Westville Yellowjackets in 1968 and 1969. He was the student body president and earned four letters in basketball.
Beyond sports, Ross was very involved in the Future Farmers of America (FFA). He won the Oklahoma FFA Speech Championship in 1968 and 1969. He placed second in the national competition in 1969. That same year, he was elected treasurer of Oklahoma Boys State. He was also nominated to be a page in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. In 1970, he received the FFA State Degree, which is the organization's second-highest honor. He was also elected vice president of the FFA Northeast District. He was named an honorable mention center on the Tulsa World's 1969 Oklahoma High School All-State Football team.
In school, Ross was invited into the National Honor Society as a sophomore. He was recognized for keeping a 3.6 GPA during his junior year. After high school, he continued to be involved in sports. He worked as a referee for high school and college baseball, football, and basketball games in Oklahoma for 18 years.
Broadcasting Career in Wrestling
Early Wrestling Announcing (1974–1987)
While attending Northeastern State University, Jim Ross gained experience working for the college radio station. This helped him get into professional wrestling announcing. He was offered a job with the local NWA Tri-State promotion. He stepped in when another announcer couldn't make it to an event.
Ross started his career with the promotion in 1974 as a referee. He did this until 1977 before moving to the broadcast team. When Bill Watts bought NWA Tri-State in 1982, it became Mid-South Wrestling. Later, it was called Universal Wrestling Federation. Ross was promoted to be the main play-by-play announcer. He also took on management duties as the Vice President of Marketing. During this time, he announced his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship match. It was between Ric Flair and Ted DiBiase.
Working for WCW (1987–1993)
In 1987, Jim Crockett Jr. bought the Universal Wrestling Federation. It joined with Jim Crockett Promotions. Ross then joined this new company as a color commentator. He worked with David Crockett and Tony Schiavone. Soon, he became the main play-by-play announcer for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
Ross continued this role when JCP became World Championship Wrestling (WCW). This happened after Ted Turner bought the company. After WCW left the NWA in 1991, Ross worked with longtime NWA commentator Bob Caudle. Around this time, Ross also announced for the Atlanta Falcons football team on the radio for one season in 1992.
Over time, Ross became the head of broadcasting for WCW. However, he had disagreements with Eric Bischoff, who was also an announcer and later an executive. Ross later said that Bischoff promoted himself to WCW's leaders. This changed how things worked inside the company. In 1993, after Bischoff became an executive producer, Ross asked to leave his contract.
Even though Ross had a three-year deal, he chose to leave right away. He was worried he wouldn't be on TV for a long time. He officially left WCW after Bischoff removed him from television.
Time with WWE (1993–2013)
Jim Ross joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) in early 1993. He first appeared on TV at WrestleMania IX in Las Vegas. He took over from Gorilla Monsoon on Wrestling Challenge and worked with Bobby Heenan. Ross also announced major pay-per-view events like WrestleMania IX and King of the Ring. Later, Vince McMahon started doing the main commentary again.
Ross suggested the idea for Radio WWF. This was a short radio show where he and Gorilla Monsoon talked about wrestling news. They also interviewed wrestlers. They announced some events like SummerSlam and the 1994 Royal Rumble for the radio.
In January 1994, Ross had his first experience with Bell's palsy. This condition can temporarily weaken facial muscles. He left the company two weeks later. After that, Ross worked as an announcer for Smoky Mountain Wrestling. He also returned to announce for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.
Ross briefly came back to WWF in mid-1994. He announced on Monday Night Raw with Randy Savage while Vince McMahon was away. After McMahon returned, Ross left again. He then went back to Smoky Mountain Wrestling.
In December 1994, Ross rejoined WWF for a third time. He started on smaller shows. In 1996, he returned to the main announce team. That September, Ross was part of a storyline where he pretended to bring back old characters. This story was not very popular and ended soon.
.jpg)
After this, Ross continued his announcing duties on various shows. In December 1998, he had another Bell’s palsy attack. He returned to Raw in March 1999. In a storyline, he tried to get his commentary job back. The fans supported him, and WWF brought Ross back permanently for WrestleMania XV.
In 2001, Ross was assigned to announce for WWF’s XFL football league. He later became the main announcer for the national TV show.
During the "Monday Night War" era, Ross became known as the voice of Raw. He formed a famous announcing team with Jerry Lawler. After WWE divided its wrestlers into different "brands" in 2002, Ross worked only on Raw and its pay-per-views.
Besides announcing, Ross was also an Executive Vice President of Talent Relations. He helped hire and develop new wrestling talent. He stepped away from these executive roles in 2005 due to health and family reasons.
In October 2005, Ross was written off television in a storyline where he was "fired." In real life, he needed time off for surgery. Ross returned in 2006 to announce for several events and resumed his position on Raw in May.
Ross signed a new contract in November 2006. On March 31, 2007, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
In the 2008 WWE Draft, Ross was moved from Raw to SmackDown. This ended his 12-year run on Raw. He was initially surprised but later said he would help make SmackDown the best show.
Ross made a one-night appearance on ECW in September 2008. He later became SmackDown’s color commentator with Todd Grisham. His last full-time announcing appearance was at Hell in a Cell on October 4, 2009. He had another Bell’s palsy attack and took a break from announcing.
Ross returned sometimes over the next few years. He appeared on Old School Raw in 2010. He also announced in early 2011 during a storyline between Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole. He appeared at WrestleMania XXVII and other Raw episodes. In a storyline, he was "fired" again. Ross later said he was not told about this "firing" beforehand. He returned briefly for matches and comedy parts through the rest of 2011.
At WrestleMania XXVIII in 2012, Ross announced the "End of an Era" Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and Triple H. He also helped with Raw 1000. He started announcing for the new NXT show. That same year, Paul Levesque (Triple H) made Ross an adviser and scout for new talent. After Lawler had a heart attack on TV, Ross filled in for him. He was honored in his hometown during Raw on October 1, called “JR Appreciation Night.”
In 2013, Ross began helping new announcers at the WWE Performance Center. He returned for the 20th Anniversary of Raw.
On August 16, 2013, Ross hosted a WWE 2K14 panel. He appeared tired and made some unplanned comments. On September 11, Ross announced he was leaving WWE. He said his contract had ended. It was thought that the panel led to his departure. Ross later said it was his comment about a sponsor that caused concern. He also said his tired look was due to Bell’s palsy. Vince McMahon later confirmed the panel contributed to Ross's exit but said Ross left on his own terms.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2015–2018)
On January 4, 2015, Ross and Matt Striker announced the English language broadcast for Global Force Wrestling's presentation of New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome pay-per-view.
On January 19, 2016, it was announced that Ross had signed to be the new main announcer for NJPW's weekly show on AXS TV. His contract was directly with AXS TV, not NJPW. In November 2018, it was revealed that Ross would no longer be announcing for NJPW.
Independent Wrestling (2016–2019)
On October 8, 2016, Ross announced for What Culture Pro Wrestling's (WCPW) first iPPV, Refuse to Lose. On December 31, Ross announced for the pilot episode of World of Sport Wrestling on ITV. On February 12, 2017, Ross returned to WCPW for commentary at the iPPV, True Destiny.
Return to WWE (2017–2019)
On April 2, 2017, at WrestleMania 33, Ross returned to WWE. He announced the main event match between The Undertaker and Roman Reigns. Soon after, it was announced that Ross had signed a two-year deal with the company. During the summer, Ross announced, with Lita, for the Mae Young Classic. On January 22, 2018, on Raw 25 Years, Ross reunited with Jerry Lawler as part of the commentary team. On April 8, 2018, at WrestleMania 34, Ross announced the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the pre-show. Ross's last TV appearance for WWE was on the pre-show panel for the Greatest Royal Rumble on April 27, 2018.
Ross left WWE on March 27, 2019. He chose not to renew his contract. Ross said he left because he wasn't being used much. He also felt he could still do play-by-play announcing, even if others at WWE didn't agree.
All Elite Wrestling (2019–Present)
_(52292654123).jpg)
On April 3, 2019, it was announced that Ross had signed a three-year deal with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He became a commentator and senior advisor. Ross first provided full-time commentary on AEW Dynamite and sometimes on AEW Rampage. On January 5, 2022, Ross returned to TBS for the first time since 1993. In June 2022, Ross switched to full-time commentary on Rampage.
On June 17, 2023, Ross shared an image showing a black eye he got from a fall. He worked at the first episode of AEW Collision but later announced he would take time off to heal.
On August 5, 2023, Ross returned to the AEW Collision commentary team. Since then, he has only provided commentary as an analyst for the main events in the second hour of AEW Collision.
After surgery in February 2024, Ross returned on March 3, 2024, for Revolution. He announced Sting's retirement match. In August 2024, he recorded interviews with Bryan Danielson and Swerve Strickland before their match at All In. Later that month, he revealed he had broken his wrist but still planned to announce the match at All In. On August 25, 2024, Ross announced the main event at All In. He returned on September 7, 2024, for the All Out main event.
After 10 months away due to illness, Ross returned on July 12, 2025, at All In. He provided commentary for the last two matches of the show.
Other Announcing Work
National Football League
In 1992, Ross joined the Atlanta Falcons radio broadcast team. He left after one season but had a second time with the Falcons in 1994.
Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts
Ross first announced for boxing on May 26, 2014, for Golden Boy Promotions on Fox Sports 1.
Ross worked with MMA fighter Chael Sonnen to announce the Battlegrounds MMA tournament on October 3, 2014.
Podcasting
In 2014, Ross started his own podcast called The Ross Report. It was later relaunched as The Jim Ross Report in 2018. In April 2019, Ross partnered with wrestling podcaster Conrad Thompson. They changed his podcast to Grilling JR. This new show features Ross sharing stories about his wrestling history.
Wrestling Matches
Even though Ross is mostly a commentator, he has been in wrestling matches. He even won some, like a match against Triple H in 2005.
Another time, Ross teamed up with Jerry "The King" Lawler against Al Snow and Jonathan Coachman in 2003. Their jobs were on the line. They lost, but two weeks later, Ross and Lawler got their jobs back. Ross defeated Coachman in a special match. Ross has been in other matches with Lawler, including some with special rules. In 2011, Ross wrestled Michael Cole on Raw. Ross won by disqualification.
Ross has also been involved in many other conflicts with wrestlers like Triple H, Val Venis, Jack Swagger, Vladimir Kozlov, Mankind, and Steve Austin. Ross was even set on fire by Kane. Ross was in the main event of WWF's first show from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 11, 1999. Ross teamed with Steve Austin to face WWF Champion Triple H and Chyna.
As part of storylines, Ross was often targeted by Vince McMahon during his time with WWE. In 2005, Vince McMahon's character made fun of Ross's real surgery.
In 2011, after being "fired" as an announcer, he returned to team up with John Cena. They faced Michael Cole and Alberto Del Rio in a tag team match on Raw and won.
Personal Life and Health
Ric Flair says he introduced Ross to his late wife, Jan. Ross writes in his autobiography that Ric Flair was on an airplane when he first met Jan, who was a flight attendant. Ross has two daughters from previous marriages and two granddaughters. He says Steve Austin and Jerry Lawler are his closest friends.
Ross lives with Bell's palsy. This condition sometimes temporarily weakens his facial muscles. The symptoms first appeared on January 30, 1994. In late 1998, after his mother passed away, Ross took a break from WWE Raw. The effects of his sadness made his palsy worse.
In 2007, Ross opened J.R.'s Family Bar-B-Q in Norman, Oklahoma. This was because his barbecue sauces and beef products were selling well. The restaurant closed in May 2010. Ross is also a fan of Skyline Chili.
Ross is a big fan of the Oklahoma Sooners football team. He often attends their home games. His entrance music is "Boomer Sooner," which is the Sooners' fight song. In 2014, he became a contributor for FoxSports.com for NCAA Football and Oklahoma Sooners. On February 23, 2021, Ross said on his YouTube show Grilling J.R. that The Sopranos is his favorite TV show.
On March 21, 2017, Ross's wife Jan was in a car accident. She had serious head injuries. She passed away two days later.
Ross had an eye operation in 2018 that greatly affected his eyesight in one eye.
On October 23, 2021, Ross shared that he had skin cancer. On December 29, 2021, Ross announced he was cancer free. On February 1, 2024, Ross again posted that he had successful cancer surgery on his right hip. On May 15, 2025, Ross announced he had been diagnosed with colon cancer. He had surgery for it soon after. On May 28, Ross announced his colon cancer surgery was a success. On June 25, Ross revealed he was cancer free.
In Other Media
In the film Man on the Moon, Ross played Lance Russell. He announced a wrestling match in the movie.
Ross also has a role in the Amazon Prime Video show Paradise City as Ned.
Ross was one of the main announcers for the original XFL football league in 2001.
Ross has also provided his voice for many WWE video games. He is also a character you can unlock in games like WWE '12, WWF WrestleMania 2000, and WWF No Mercy.
In October 2014, he appeared in "Brian and the Boz," a 30 for 30 documentary. Three years later, he was in another 30 for 30 documentary about Ric Flair.
Ross has written two WWE-themed cookbooks: Can You Take The Heat? The WWF Is Cooking (2000) and J.R's Cookbook (2003). His autobiography Slobberknocker was released on October 3, 2017. Vince McMahon wrote the introduction for this book. Ross's second book, Under the Black Hat: My Life in the WWE and Beyond, was published in March 2020. On May 7, 2024, Ross released another book, Business Is About to Pick Up!.
Ross has also created a line of J.R.'s BBQ sauces and mustard.
Legacy and Impact
Jim Ross is often called the greatest wrestling commentator of all time. Ryan Dilbert from the Bleacher Report said that Ross brought great passion and love for wrestling to Mid-South Wrestling, WWE, and World Championship Wrestling. He said that when Ross announced a match, it felt real and unforgettable.
Professional wrestling booker and promoter Eric Bischoff has both praised and criticized Ross. He said that Ross was in upper management and had a lot of influence. But he also said that Ross didn't have a track record of running a company. Bischoff also said, "Jim is the best announcer, probably on planet Earth."
WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin has praised Ross. He said, "Jim Ross, to me, with his range, with his storytelling, he paid his dues. And his ability to watch a match, tell a story, get the talent over with the credibility that he had, he was the shining diamond on top of everyone."
Awards and Achievements
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award (2010)
- Jim Ross Announcer Award (2024)
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Lou Thesz Award (2011)
- Gordon Solie Award (2022)
- National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2016)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Stanley Weston Award (2002)
- World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2007)
- Slammy Award for "Tell Me I Did Not Just See That" Moment of the Year (2011) – Rapping during the "Michael Cole Challenge"
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Television Announcer (1988–1993, 1998–2001, 2006–2007, 2009, 2012)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1999)
|
See also
In Spanish: Jim Ross para niños
