The relationship between Vince McMahon and Jim “JR” Ross was a very complex one. For reasons that no one ever seemed to understand, Vince appeared to dislike JR.
This was bizarre, given that JR gave years of service to WWE, and is widely regarded as the finest play-by-play commentator of all time.
Over the course of his career with WWE, JR was humiliated on multiple occasions – some scripted, and some unscripted. In this article, we look at 7 examples of this.
Background
Vince McMahon was the Chairman of the WWE between 1982 and 2022. He ruled WWE with an iron-fist in this time, and was responsible for many of the storylines over this long period.
JR meanwhile has worked in the wrestling industry his entire life. This included starting out in the NWA in 1974. He spent time with the WWE’s then-biggest competitor WCW, before joining WWE in 1993. He was employed until 2013, and then again from 2017 to 2019.
While the duo were a key part of WWE history, it seemed as if they never quite saw eye-to-eye. As discussed, sadly there were numerous times where JR was humiliated by Vince McMahon.
Being “fired” in 2005 on air
We start in the year 2005, with JR having been the main commentator on RAW for many years. However, due to the need of JR to be written off the screen (more on this later), there needed to be an explanation.
What followed was deeply uncomfortable. Vince McMahon came to the ring, and asked JR to come to the ring to give him an apology. This resulted in his daughter Stephanie also being called out. After JR refused to apologise to her, Stephanie slapped JR.
After getting back up, Vince asked for his son Shane to come out. However, instead his wife Linda McMahon made a rare appearance. It seemed as if Linda was going to be the voice of reason. However, in a plot twist, she ended up firing JR on air, before kicking him in the balls.
If JR needed time off air, a quick segment during an episode of RAW would’ve sufficed. Or, if the McMahon family needed to be shown as villainous, an on-air firing would be somewhat understandable.
However, when it involves being slapped by Vince’s daughter and kicked in the balls by his wife, it surely went too far. Seeing the image of JR clutching his balls on the mat with Vince, Linda and Stephanie laughing hysterically was uncomfortable.
Then having a girl half his age in Stephanie cupping an imaginary pair of balls while pulling a face mocking his pain, the humiliation could hardly have gone further.
JR joins the “Kiss my Ass” (KMA) club
The notorious KMA club had many members, and of course JR had to be part of it. Back when McMahon was battling with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, he made an example of JR, by forcing him to quite literally join the KMA club.
This was a humiliating experience. Moreover, having to do this in front of his hometown crowd in Oklahoma appeared to be cruel timing.
Dr. Heiney segment
The real-life reason for JR’s public “firing” was so that he could spend time off screen for an important colon surgery. As anyone that has experienced such a procedure knows, it is rather serious.
Therefore, it came as a sign of serious disrespect when an on-air segment aired which involved McMahon appearing with a character called “Dr. Heiney”, where they operated on JR by supposedly removing various items from his backside.
Halloween costumes
While WWE personnel wearing Halloween costumes was commonplace, it seemed that McMahon revelled in dressing JR in bizarre costumes.
One of his most infamous costumes was that of a sailor. It appeared as if McMahon seemed to be hellbent on making JR look foolish.
The sailor outfit was seemingly the lowpoint of his costumes, with the ill-fitting garment seemingly designed to make JR look silly.
Drafting to SmackDown
On his Grilling JR podcast, JR revealed that the night before one of the WWE drafts, he had spoken to WWE producer Kevin Dunn about how he didn’t want to ever leave RAW.
JR believes this conversation was fed back to McMahon, who seemingly relished the chance to use this against JR. At a WWE draft, superstars and even commentators were able to be “drafted” from RAW to SmackDown, and vice-versa.
JR was drafted to SmackDown without warning. JR was clearly upset, and rightfully so. In the aftermath of this, he considered quitting.
John Laurinaitis sacking JR on air without him knowing
In one of the most distasteful events of all, JR was fired from his position live on air, without being aware. Unlike the previous instance where JR was fired, on this occasion, JR had no idea he was about to be fired.
In October 2011, John Laurinaitis – who was the executive vice president of talent relations and the interim general manager of RAW – called JR into the ring, which was not in the script of the show.
After berating him for apparently “walking out” on the WWE universe the previous week, and lambasting him as an “ingrate”, Laurinaitis then fired JR, as per the above video.
Most people backstage were unaware that JR was going to be fired. Presumably, it was kept very quiet between Vince McMahon and a close circle.
JR responded to several messages of support on Twitter, where he said he was “blindsided” over the firing, but that he was grateful for his work and his contributions at WWE.
JR did return to the company doon after, but the public humiliation of the event seemed harsh. In a rare high point, a “JR appreciation night” was held a year later in October 2012, on RAW.
The Infamous WWE 2K Video Game Event
JR primarily had off-screen roles in WWE in his final years. In August 2013, JR hosted a WWE 2K14 roster announcement.
At the event, JR was suspected of being intoxicated. He and Ric Flair were accused of being heavily drunk – having sworn and disrespected sponsors of the event.
JR announced his retirement from WWE after, but many believe he was legitimately fired by McMahon following the infamous WWE 2K Video game reveal.
However, JR disputed being intoxicated, and instead he said he was fatigued due to his Bell’s Palsy health condition – which he believed was misunderstood. Many accused McMahon of ignoring this in his decision.
JR would later return to WWE in April 2017, and remain in place for two years. In March 2019, JR left WWE for the final time – with him suggesting that Vince didn’t think he could do “play-by-play” commentating still. JR signed with All Elite Wrestling three weeks later.
The Takeaway
JR – at the time of writing – now works for All Elite Wrestling, who are attempting to compete with the WWE. JR has served as their main commentator since 2019, though owing to health issues, has recently stepped back.
Meanwhile, McMahon has encountered legal troubles, and has since sold WWE. Relations between the duo are amicable, with JR saying he speaks to Vince on a sporadic basis – despite the treatment.
