Jim Ross has been involved in pro-wrestling for almost fifty years. He began doing odd jobs for smaller regional promotions in 1974 when he was a referee for the NWA Tri-State promotion.
From there he moved up to doing commentary and other official work for companies all across the United States, before embarking on a nearly-two-decade run with WWE and then working for AEW, which is where he remains to this day.
However, despite receiving praise for both his commentary skill and his other contributions to pro-wrestling, Jim Ross has also garnered some detractors. Some of these people have gone so far as to wish for Ross’s retirement from wrestling, asking “when is JR going to quit?”
Jim Ross fires back at fans that want to see him gone from wrestling
Jim Ross discussed this matter on a recent episode of his Grilling JR Podcast. The topic came up as Ross was discussing older talent continuing to work long past their primes.
Jim Ross drew attention to Terry Funk, who wrestled from 1965 until 2017 and had numerous ‘retirement matches’ only to come back again afterwards.
And while Jim Ross hasn’t had such an experience, he has been involved with pro wrestling for five decades almost continuously and without interruption. Some wrestling fans have interpreted that longevity as someone not knowing when or how to move on.
In response to these opinions, Jim Ross has stated that he doesn’t have any timeline whatsoever regarding retirement.
“I read about it every day. When is JR Going to quit? When is JR going to get off Wednesday, I gotta get off the air. Well, you know, I got no timeline on this thing. I know when my agreement with Tony Khan is up.
But does that mean I’m not going to continue? No. Does that mean that I’m going to, at that point, make the final decision that, hey, this is I’ve had enough, I’m tapping, I want to work less hours, I’m going to work less travel,
I’m not going to fly every week, whatever it may be, it’s still to be determined. But you’re the older you get, and you don’t pass up on those opportunities.”
If you use any of the quotes from this article credit the Grilling JR Podcast with a h/t back to Inside The Ropes.