Jim Ross - SAS CLASSIC

Summary

The Steve Austin Show: Jim Ross – SAS CLASSIC

PodcastOne | July 21, 2026

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Overview

This episode of The Steve Austin Show features a classic, wide-ranging conversation between Steve Austin and legendary pro wrestling announcer Jim Ross, recorded shortly after Ross’s retirement from WWE. Set against the backdrop of Austin’s reverence for working men and their shared love for wrestling’s history, the conversation is full of hilarious stories, hard truths about the business, and candid reflections on life after wrestling. Listeners are treated to tales from the road, riots, and riotous moments, making this a must-listen for wrestling fans and those curious about what goes on behind the curtain.

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Episode Structure & Key Segments

• [01:37] – Show Introduction & Family-Friendly Announcement
• [06:00] – Welcoming Jim Ross & Reflections on Retirement
• [08:13] – Jim Ross’s Career Highlights & Regrets
• [10:24] – The Evolution of Wrestling Commentary
• [15:10] – College Football & Johnny Manziel's Controversies
• [21:54] – Wrestling History: Heels & Heat
• [29:44] – Legendary & Unbelievable In-Ring Stories
• [44:36] – Protecting the Business: The Stossel Incident & Old School Philosophy
• [49:20] – On Retirement, Writing, and What’s Next for Jim Ross
• [52:06] – Friendship, Broken Skull Ranch, & Outdoor Adventures
• [55:16] – Closing Thoughts & Legacy

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Show Changes & Audience Expansion

• Steve Austin announces a new Tuesday family-friendly edition of the show, with Thursdays remaining uncensored.
  • “This show is for the working man...Tuesday, family friendly. Thursday, no holds barred, Steve Austin Show Unleashed.” – Steve Austin [04:45]

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Jim Ross on Retirement & What’s Next

• Ross, freshly retired after 20 years at WWE, isn’t slowing down.
  • “I’m not going to go out and buy a rocking chair...I’d like to say that 61 is the new 41. So I’m feeling good, I’m healthy. I want to be doing some other things.” – Jim Ross [06:50]
  • Jim jokes about getting a role in one of Steve’s movies, even if just to “get shot early and enjoy catering.” [07:03]

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Impact in Wrestling: Favorite Moments & Regrets

• Ross feels proud but admits one lingering wish.
  • “If I had to narrowcast it down...it would be to call the Undertaker's last match, whenever that is.” – Jim Ross [08:24]
  • On the importance of the Undertaker’s streak: “That’s about as big a part of WrestleMania right now...as anything they could book.” – Jim Ross [08:45]
  • Steve and Jim reminisce about fellow legends and what it means for a wrestler to have real longevity.

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The Evolution of Commentary

• How wrestling broadcast changed from the 'clean' old days to today’s information overload.
  • “When you started off with Watts...it was clean. It was you and the audience and your partner. And whatever you saw on the monitor, you called it.” – Jim Ross [11:23]
  • Now, “There’s more voices in your ear...third screen experience...You have to be more talented.” [12:50]
  • Both Steve and Jim lament the loss of focus on pure action, with endless tickers and distractions.

“When I was watching wrestling, I want to watch those cats wrestle. And then I want to hear you breaking down the action. That’s all I want to hear and see.”
– Steve Austin [13:01]

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Football Talk: Johnny Manziel & the Oklahoma Sooners

• Ross shares thoughts on Johnny Manziel's college controversies and Kevin Sumlin's coaching.
  • “The kid’s just immature and he’s been given everything that he’s wanted materialistically...He needed my old man to be around him a little bit.” – Jim Ross [16:44]
  • On the Sooners’ prospects: “We have to get our quarterback situation solidified...but a lot of work to do.” [17:26]

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Heels & Heat: The Art of Villainy in Wrestling

• Classic tales of real-life heat and wrestling villains.
  • “Back in the 70s there were legitimate riots because people were so angry at the wrestling villains...”
    – Jim Ross [22:07]
  • Notable examples:
    • Dick Murdoch, Killer Karl Kox, and especially the Freebirds for blinding Junkyard Dog:

    “The story on TV that we told was that thanks to the Free Birds, the Junkyard Dog is unable to see his baby daughter who just was born. Oh, man, that’s heat right there.”
    – Jim Ross [22:40]

  • The importance of being a heel 24/7:

    “They were wrestling villains 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They didn’t sign autographs...They were, they were...”
    – Jim Ross [24:15]

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Hilarious & Wild In-Ring Stories

• The ‘Battle Royal with a Bear’ and real-life chaos:

  • Danny Hodge pulls “a handful of short hair around the bear’s butt,” causing the bear to swat Bill Watts out of the ring. [31:16]
  • The story underlines old-school unpredictability:

    “Hodge, after the bear slapped Watts...the bear was, you know...The bear eliminates the cowboy.”
    – Jim Ross [32:21]

• Funniest Ever: Bob Cook’s Yellow Tights Incident:

  • Wrestler Bob Cook accidentally soils his trunks mid-match:

    “Takes a great big old dump in his yellow tights...the blot and the brown blot in his yellow tights became bigger and bigger.”
    – Jim Ross [35:45; 38:08]

  • Because color commentator Leroy McGirk was blind, confusion reigned as the crowd laughed while the booth tried to maintain composure.

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Classic ‘Toughness’ & Protecting the Business

• Dr. D. David Schultz and John Stossel:

  • On the infamous smackdown to protect wrestling’s reputation:

    “I liked it because that’s how I was raised...If you were a heel and a guy comes up to you...and says, ‘Great show tonight’—that was fighting words, provocation. It was bullyism at its best, but they were always in character.”
    – Jim Ross [45:06; 45:23]

• Tryouts were brutal and survival of the fittest was real:

  • “If you’re in his territory and you lost a fight to a civilian, you were fired.” [45:23]
  • Tales of legendary tough-guy tryouts, warnings about “catheters in the penis,” and initiations by Bill Watts and Dr. Death Steve Williams. [47:20]

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Reflections on Transition & Legacy

• Retirement: Relief, New Adventures, and Contentment
  • “You know, I can’t look back...and not say it wasn’t a great run, but I always had a varied interest...I had interest in acquiring talent and mentoring talent, negotiating contracts, writing...”
    – Jim Ross [50:01]
  • Writing a book, calling football, and even joining UFC (“conversation with Dana White”) pop up as possible next steps.
  • Steve: “I want to book you right now myself.” [52:04]

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Friendship, Life, and Looking Ahead

• Steve invites Jim to Broken Skull Ranch
  • “But I know that you don’t have to be at a Monday night raw. So I’m inviting you right here on the Steve Austin show...” – Steve Austin [52:06]
  • Jim accepts, jokes about Texas hunting licenses, and recalls outdoor adventures, including hunting trips with Shawn Michaels:

    “I may be the world’s most dangerous hunter. I’m not sure. I don’t want that to get out there now, but I might be when all’s said and done.”
    – Jim Ross [54:19]

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Closing: Gratitude, Respect & Boomer Sooner

• Steve thanks Jim for his role in his career and friendship

  “...to be the guy that knew how to heap praise on the character that was Stone Cold. And I owe a big part of my success to the way you laid it down for me and have always been there for me as a friend...”
  – Steve Austin [56:03]

• Jim gives credit to his near 40-year run and signs off:

  “For a wrestling fan to waddle his ass into the business...and work 39 years in it was a true blessing...I wouldn’t change a darn thing.”
  – Jim Ross [55:43]

• Ending with Ross’s signature:

  “Everything's good. It’s all good in Oklahoma. And I'll just say one thing. Boomer Sooner.”
  – Jim Ross [56:50]

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Memorable Quotes

• “I felt like I'd been eaten by a Tyrannosaurus rex and I'd been passed through his digestive tract and then deposited over the side of the Grand Canyon, landing with a thud at the bottom. That's how I felt this morning.” — Steve Austin [01:47]
• “He could die a slow, painful death, or I can die suddenly. I can get stunned out of my shoes. I can take a bullet. I can gurgle. I can do any of that stuff, man.” — Jim Ross [07:32]
• “When I was watching wrestling, I want to watch those cats wrestle. And then I want to hear you breaking down the action. That’s all I want.” — Steve Austin [13:01]
• “Back in the 70s, there were legitimate riots because people were so angry at the wrestling villains...” — Jim Ross [22:07]
• “Takes a great big old dump in his yellow tights. And there ain’t no reinstir. There’s no way of editing. We’re live to tape.” — Jim Ross [35:45]
• “I may be the world’s most dangerous hunter. I’m not sure. I don’t want that to get out there now, but I might be when all’s said and done.” — Jim Ross [54:19]

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Final Notes

• The episode is as much about the camaraderie and respect between Steve Austin and Jim Ross as it is about wrestling, packed with nostalgia, riotous humor, and genuine insight into what made wrestling so beloved for generations.
• Anyone interested in classic wrestling stories, the drama behind the broadcast desk, and the value of friendship (on- and off-air) will find this episode both entertaining and heartwarming.

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For more episodes and updates, check out Steve Austin on social media or podcastone.com.

Transcript

[Steve Austin]

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[Steve Austin]

following program is a podcast1.com production from Hollywood, California, by way of the Broken Skull Ranch.

[Jim Ross]

This is the Steve Austin Show.

[Steve Austin]

Give me a Hell yeah. Hell yeah. Now here's Steve Austin.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Alright, everybody, welcome to the Steve Austin Show. Yours truly sitting here in the studio.

[Steve Austin]

Actually, I'm in a different studio today.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

I'm in a different location here on

[Steve Austin]

the streets of Los Angeles, driving my 1995 Ford Bronco through traffic. Almost late for my appointment to talk with my good buddy Jim Ross, who recently retired from 20 years with WWE. I can't believe caught me off guard. I called my friend Jim up. I asked him if he'd be on the show. He said yes. I'm about to talk to him. Ah, call me. By surprise, I was down in the dumps this morning. When I woke up, I felt like I'd been eaten by a Tyrannosaurus rex and I'd been passed through his digestive tract and then deposited over the side of the Grand Canyon, landing with a Thud at the bottom. That's how I felt this morning. But after a couple of gallons of coffee, I hauled my ass up, got my notes, got my bronco, came down here to the studio.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

I'm fixing to light it up, talking

[Steve Austin]

with my buddy Jim Ross. But first I got a special announcement for you that concerns the Steve Austin show. As you guys know, I deliver a can of audio whoop ass every single Tuesday and Thursday of every week. We're going to keep doing that. However, we're going to change things up a little bit. I've been getting tons of emails from people who would like to listen to the Steve Austin show as a family unit. Huh? I've also got people who like all the crazy stuff that comes out of my brain because that's the way I think. So I want to make everyone happy. This show is therapeutic for me and doing it makes me happy. The fact that you downloaded and listen to my audio whoop ass makes me a happy person. This show is for the working man. I'm trying to entertain folks all over the world. With that being said, what I'm going to do is make a family friendly edition of the Steve Austin show available on Tuesday. You're going to get my exact opinions, my exact state of mind, my exact attitude that you've gotten in the past. I'll simply clean up a little bit of the language. Am I selling out? No, I'm just trying to expand my audience. I would love for people to be able to listen to the Tuesday's edition of the Steve Austin show as a family unit. I don't know how many people I've had come up to me and say, man, I remember watching you on TV with my grandfather. It was the thing that families did. I'd like to make Tuesday that show. There will be a couple of little bit of language things in there, but it'll be PG rated. Moving on to the Thursday show. For all you working man that are just like me who like a little salt and pepper on their language in their dialogue, this show is going to be exactly what it was. No holds barred, Steve Austin live and uncensored download of course, but uncensored, uncut, no bs, telling it exactly the way it is.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

All I'm trying to do is make

[Steve Austin]

two sets of people happy. I'm happy doing it. I appreciate you people listening to this show. I know right now because I do this show for the working man. There's a man driving down the road in a pickup truck. He's got a chainsaw on the back of that truck. He's fixing to go out and work 12, 15 hours because he's got mouths to feed at the house. I got a man packing his bags because he's gonna get in his big rig and deliver motor freight on the other side of the United States. That's right, the working man. There's another man driving around in a black and white patrol car fighting crime and keeping our streets safe. That's right. I've also got men and women in United States armed forces going through training and maneuvers to protect this great country of ours. I got my working man, Ted Fowler down there putting his carpenter tools in the back of his truck and and going to build another house. Nothing's changed. This show is for the Working man changing up the format. Tuesday, family friendly Thursday, no holds barred, Steve Austin show Unleashed.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

All right, so here I am. I got my good buddy Jim Ross on the phone.

[Steve Austin]

First of all, Jim, how are you, man? Welcome to the show again. It's good to have you back.

[Jim Ross]

Good to have Steve. It's always great to talk to you, man.

[Steve Austin]

I have known you forever.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Love you like a brother, an older brother, or sometimes a father. You've given me so much advice over the years. You loved all over the world from calling matches. In the business of professional wrestling, you're the guy who was the voice and helped the guys in the ring tell the stories. You were a guy who was so instrumental in helping talent. Get over myself. Undertaker, Triple H, the Rock, Bret the Hitman Hart, Shawn Michaels. I can go on and on and on, but all these guys look to you as being that guy. But recently you retired from announcing from WWE and caught me a little bit by surprise. But it is what it is.

[Steve Austin]

You had a hell of a run,

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

not only in the business, but in wwe.

[Steve Austin]

So with that being said, what you got coming up? What's the next step for Jim Ross?

[Jim Ross]

Well, you know, I'm not going to go out and buy a rocking chair because I don't care. I want to be sitting on the porch rocking and watching the world go by. I'd like to say that 61 is the new 41. So I'm feeling good, I'm healthy. I want to be doing some other things without question. So, you know, I'm not going to go away. I'm just not going to be in WWE any longer. But golly, you know, Steve, as you well know, it's a big world out there. Maybe you give me a role in one of your movies and I can get shot early. Just enjoy catering For a couple days, man.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

I'm going to go film a movie, I think, in about a month, and there's going to be a lot of bodies hitting the floor, so to speak.

[Jim Ross]

So, hey, I can sell. Hey, you know that I can sell.

[Steve Austin]

I know you can sell.

[Jim Ross]

I could die a slow, painful death, or I can die suddenly. I can get stunned out of my shoes. I can take a bullet. I can gurgle. I can do any of that stuff, man.

[Steve Austin]

Hey, but I know you did.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

You did a role in the man on the Moon, the story about Andy Cobman with Jerry Lawler, Jim Carrey, and you enjoyed that experience, right? You seriously would like to do a little bit of acting, wouldn't you?

[Jim Ross]

Yeah, I got a little acting bug in me. You know, I'm thinking, I got a face for radio. I get that. But maybe.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Hell, I do, too.

[Jim Ross]

I might make a good villain, or I might be the old boy sitting on the end of the bar that gets a stray bullet, you know? I don't know.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

I think you're better than a stray bullet, kid.

[Jim Ross]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Hey, man, let's talk about your run for a second. Was there. You accomplished so much. You influenced so many people. Is there one thing that you didn't get a chance to do? Any. Any regrets?

[Jim Ross]

Golly, Steve, I don't. I got to call your last match. And that was big for me, personally and professionally. I think if I had to narrow cast it down to. Is there one thing left that you would love to do in wwe, it would be to call the Undertaker's last match, whenever that is.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Is he going to have one more match?

[Jim Ross]

I'm assuming so. And, you know, I hadn't heard anything to the contrary, but if he has another match at WrestleMania on my bucket list of things that I would love to do before, you know, to bring everything full circle, it would be to be able to be a part of that broadcast. Right. I think that the streak is about as big a part of WrestleMania right now in today's marketplace as anything that they could book.

[Steve Austin]

It is. No doubt it is.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

He's a legend, man. He's had a hell of a run, too. And I used to always kid that guy about which one of us is going to last the longest. And, of course, he outlasted me, that old tough dinosaur. He is something else. He's had a great run.

[Jim Ross]

They all, you know, people talk about Andre so much, and, you know, you just forget how big he was. And, you know, golly, I refereed some of his matches back in the Day. But the point is, is that Andre's always been kind of like the legendary guy and the Andre stories and all that. And they're great. And they'll never be. He'll never be replicated either. But I tell you what, man, when you're talking about long term, long haul, you know, careers in wwe, Undertaker's got to be in that conversation with anybody. Anybody.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Absolutely.

[Jim Ross]

You know, he's just. He's a. He's the bull, the woods, as Dusty Rhodes would say. And so, you know, that's my. That's. That'd be the one thing I don't really. And if I could just be at that match, I might be happy. But I think that I've done everything else there that I really wanted to do. I really have. It's really been a cool run.

[Steve Austin]

I want to ask you a question,

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

because going back to your early days when you're in Mid south calling matches back then and then over there in NWA Carolina territory, crockets wearing the headphones

[Steve Austin]

and to what happened kind of towards

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

the end of your career in wwe, your style changed a little bit. You started off, you know, very, very good, but green. Then you matured. I thought some of the peak of your stuff was, you know, that stuff in NWA when everybody was running roughshod and then, you know, when you WCW and nwe.

[Steve Austin]

But what was the transition like or what was the start like back in the old days?

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Because the business has changed a lot.

[Steve Austin]

You guys are getting so much information in those headphones and a lot of people don't know. You're getting signals, people are counting you down. Someone's yelling at you. Say this, don't say that. When you started off with Watts, how

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

was that process and how did it evolve into the final process with wwe?

[Jim Ross]

Well, you know, it was clean. It was you and the audience and your partner. And whatever you saw on the monitor, you called it. And as the years have gone on, it's become more refined. There's more information that you gotta disseminate. There's more voices in your ear. I remember one XFL game on NBC that I did where I had four people talking to me at exactly the same time, and they didn't know the way the truck was wired, that the other was talking to me. But that was just an illustration of back. That was back in what, 2001 or something. It's gotten a lot busier. There's the third screen experience. There's Twitter, there's touts, there's promotional considerations. You know, there's a litany of things. The website, the scrolls in the bottom of the screen. And my theory was for me to survive and to move forward, I had to change with the times. And we went from me being a play by play guy to me being more of a storyteller. Like all other sports or other presentations that are live, like WWE is or like ESPN football or NFL, the announcers have to do a lot more work to get through a broadcast and have to be better prepared and have to be, you know, quite frankly, they got to be more talented.

[Steve Austin]

Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

More talented in shoveling out information. But for me, there's a little bit of a disconnect. There's so much information going on and

[Steve Austin]

I'm old school, you know, probably like

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

you and you went through the process, you did it. But man, when I was watching wrestling, I want to watch those cats wrestle. And then I want to hear you breaking down the action. That's all I want to hear and see.

[Steve Austin]

I don't want to know. I don't want to see a ticker tape.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

I don't want to know about the application. I just want to know about the wrestling match.

[Steve Austin]

Who's on top, why the mistakes so and so made. And that's what I liked about the simplicity of back in the old days.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

And I know it's not the old days, but. But that's just kind of. You know what I favor?

[Jim Ross]

Hey, I'm the same way. That's like, you know, I've read your tweets and I know you're. And I, we talked about it. It's like the net with the football coverage now. They. They'll cover the celebration as much as they will the touchdown. And it's annoying to me very. I don't care. You know what a guy celebrating because he did his job. Getting paid a lot of money more often than not to do your job,

[Steve Austin]

man, I tell you what, it's almost. Why don't get me wrong, I love

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

my football, college and pro, but I almost prefer college now just because the game is a little bit more pure. There's a little bit more sportsmanship involved. All that dancing and lollygagging around and that celebration. And to me, that doesn't speak to team. It's one guy. I want to draw attention to himself and it really, really chaps my ass. But nonetheless, amen.

[Jim Ross]

Like a wrestling match where you're working with somebody and you don't want to sell nothing.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Yeah.

[Jim Ross]

Cause it's about you. So I'm going to. No, sell everything. He does. I want him to oversell everything I do, and it ends up being a lousy presentation.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Can you get that phone for me? I think I'm expecting a call.

[Jim Ross]

Yeah, somebody. For some reason, my phone has been ringing a lot this week. I don't know.

[Steve Austin]

You're a free agent. You're in demand. People are trying to call you. People trying to get jumping Jim Ross. Yeah, well, get a piece of me's hot, folks.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

He's hot property and he's available.

[Jim Ross]

Well, they can send me. They can send me Saturday morning in front of 85,000 people walking the sideline at the Oklahoma Sooner game. That's the biggest priority I got.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Hey, let's talk about.

[Steve Austin]

Hey, speaking of the Sooners, let's talk

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

about a good buddy, yours, Kevin Sutherland, coach of Texas A and M. I know he used to coach there at Oklahoma. I got a chance to meet him. We all went out to dinner in Houston before WrestleMania 17. He's dealing with a young quarterback named Johnny Manziel. Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy as a freshman for Texas A and M Maggies. He's a very talented cat. He's all over the place these days. He's seemingly or allegedly signing stuff. I guess he hasn't got paid for it. He got suspended for half a game. What's the story with this cat?

[Steve Austin]

Give me the 41 1. You're old school. You love the college program.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

You're real tight with Coach Stoops and all those cats. How's Kevin someone dealing with this guy?

[Jim Ross]

Well, you know, Kevin is, as you said, a great friend of mine. And we've been our elbow more than once on a. On a cold beer. But, you know, Johnny Manziel wasn't the most recruited player in the Texas. And they weren't even sure he was going to play quarterback. They gave him a chance to play quarterback before they moved into db. They thought he'd be a defensive back or a wide receiver, but, you know, he lit it up and he. He. Kevin put him in an offense that fit Johnny Manziel to a tee, but Kevin's inherited that issue. And I think Johnny Manziel's issues started long before he got to Texas A and M. I think his. And I hate to. You know, I'm not Ward Cleaver here, father of the year, but, you know, thing about it is that he needed a trip to the woodshed. He needed my old man to be around him a little bit.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Mine too, growing up.

[Jim Ross]

Because some of that stuff wouldn't have happened. It might have happened once, but it damn sure wouldn't happen twice. And the kids just immature and he's been given everything that he's wanted materialistically and, you know, he's got a reload back in and take some of that focus off himself and not put himself in a position to where it's all about him and not about those other dudes out there, those other 22 players or 21 players to start. It's a handful. And Kevin, I think, has done a lot better job than he's given credit for, considering the firestorm that Johnny Mansell had after he won the Heisman Trophy.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Man, Oklahoma Sooners, can they go undefeated this year?

[Jim Ross]

I'd like to say yes. We have to get our quarterback situation solidified. The red shirt freshman kid, Trevor Knight from San Antonio got the start at the beginning of the year, which kind of surprised a lot of folks. The Bell Dozer. We thought Blake Bell would be the starting quarterback. A lot of people did. It's a difference in comparing Big Ben Roethlisberger to Russell Wilson. That's what we have here. We have. We're running that offense where there's a little bit of option and a lot more running game. And Trevor Knight. Was Russell Wilson elusive. I'm not going to say it was RG3, but because RG3 is in a different stratosphere. But he had a lot of. He had a lot of speed run a 4 5, the strongest freshman we ever signed as he was a quarterback, so he's strong as an ox. But he got his knee hurt. He's going to be out for a couple weeks. So now they're back to the Bell Dozer. That's where the Big Ben reference comes in. Black Bell Six Six, weighs 255 and big arm cannon. So the offense now is going to change its personality yet again. We got a lot of work to do. And then Oklahoma goes up to Notre Dame and you know, I'm going to be at that game because, yeah, you're

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

going to have to get your payback

[Jim Ross]

on that as a football guy. To be able to go to a game at Notre Dame, to me is special because it's just got so much history and heritage and I'm big into history and heritage and things like that tradition. So I'm looking forward to going up there to that game.

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[Steve Austin]

You said History and heritage. Let's talk history and heritage pro wrestling.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

You've been around for a long time.

[Steve Austin]

Let's talk about heels and heat. Hottest hill you ever saw in your life.

[Jim Ross]

Oh, golly, that's a good one. Because, I mean, back in the 70s, there were legitimate riots because people were so angry at the wrestling villains that they left their chairs, they left their families, they pulled out their pocket knives and they were going to. They were going to do damage. They were serious about, I'll go to jail, but I can't stand this atrocity.

[Steve Austin]

Well, that's because pro wrestling was real.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Back in sports entertainment. Name me some heels with some heat.

[Jim Ross]

Well, you know, I can tell you that back in. I remember Dick Murdoch had a lot of heat.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Yeah.

[Jim Ross]

Killer Carl Cox had a lot of heat, you know, and to go into more modern times, or since quasi modern times, when the Free Birds congregated at two different occasions when they blinded the junkyard dog and the iron. And Watson made a huge story out of this deal. Junkyard dog's daughter who accepted his hall of Fame induction for Daddy, she was just born. So the story on TV that we told was that thanks to the Free Birds, the junkyard dog is unable to see his baby daughter who just was born. Oh, man, that's Heat right there in his arms. And he can't see her little face.

[Steve Austin]

Oh, my.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

That is terrible. Tremendous.

[Jim Ross]

And so the Free Birds were as hated at that time because of that. People could relate to that.

[Steve Austin]

Absolutely. And Dog was over.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

People love jyd.

[Jim Ross]

Yeah. But people also, Steve, could relate to the fact that your sight was taken from you unnecessarily. And then you had. After that occurred, your first child was born and you had. You couldn't even see this child. He couldn't. It was just a. Just horrific. It was just unfathomable how that could happen. And now somebody's got to get even. The Free Birds have got to pay. So, you know, their three guys had a lot of heat, and it was organic, real heat. It was heat where they, you know, even back they. They were. They had to be leery of where they stopped along the road to get gas or. Or where they stayed and things like that. It was a tough deal. But Murdoch had heat because he could talk and he. And his work was. You couldn't see through it. He beat people up and he knew how to sell. He was great in that deal. But there were a lot of guys. There's so many guys that just were so skilled and so great an artist at what they did and being that wrestling villain and here's the other thing about that. They were wrestling villains 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They didn't sign autographs. They didn't want to engage a fan at the, you know, at the restaurant. They didn't want to talk to anybody. They were, they were. It was like when I did, like you mentioned the movie man the Moon, Jim Carrey played Andy Kaufman, and Jim Carrey stayed in character 24 hours a day to be Andy Kaufman to the point that you were instructed when he walked on the set, you can't call him Mr. Carey, you can't call him Jim. He'd rather you just call him Andy or Mr. Kaufman, preferably Andy. So he was in character all the time in that role.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

So did he have heat on the set? Because people were getting tired of that.

[Jim Ross]

Yeah, he. He thought he knew how Andy Kaufman was going to. Would react and how Andy Kaufman was as a, you know, the inner gender wrestling champion and being a obnoxious villain. And, you know, you talk to Lawler Lawrence, Andy Kaufman was one of the most, you know, nicest, easygoing guys around, but he had that ability to flip the switch, and that's why he hated to be called a comedian. He said, I'm not a comedian, I'm an artist.

[Steve Austin]

He had heat.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

In those old Memphis days, I watched a lot of tapes. You know, I just got finished talking to Jerry Lawler on the show, and Andy Kaufman had a ton of heat there in that Mid South Coliseum, and

[Steve Austin]

he loved it and he relished in it. And there, there's been heels, you know,

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

through, you know, out my career who were afraid of that heat. They were actually afraid of what was going to happen once they went to their car, got on the street. And you can't have that state of mind.

[Steve Austin]

You have to want to be hated.

[Jim Ross]

Yeah, exactly. This Mid South Legends of Mid South Wrestling DVD came out and there are some illustrations on there of, you know, how the boys are talking about. And I didn't know it until I got the business. I had to learn it, feel it. The silent heat.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Right.

[Jim Ross]

That's scary.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

It is.

[Steve Austin]

And sometimes it'll throw you off.

[Jim Ross]

Yeah. And there's a lot of moments on that DVD that were badass, man. There were some hills. There was Buzz Sawyer had great heat.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

He was scary. You believed him.

[Jim Ross]

Yeah, he was a badass. And he lived that deal. He. To almost to an extreme. Yes, he died way too soon, but he lived on the edge. And then Watts was really smart about playing to his audience. Watch got buried by the giant Russian Korchenko and Eddie Gilbert and his crew on tv. And we did it in Tulsa. Sometimes people ask, well, why are all these bad things happening to people in their hometown? Because you get a better reaction. It's casting.

[Steve Austin]

That's why you always had something happen to you. Every time. We were in Norman on Monday night

[Jim Ross]

Raw, Oklahoma City was.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

I got.

[Jim Ross]

I had a lot of gut wrenching nights in Oklahoma City because the writers and the creative people knew that they would get the reaction they were looking for and it would come across on TV as to what they were looking for. You and I were a prime example of that. You know, after WrestleMania 17, two days later, we were in Oklahoma City with a brand new Stone Cold, Mr. McMahon's buddy. And, you know, I got, you know, and I got the high hell beat out of me in front of my home fans because they wanted to go on tv, that Stone Cold's getting booed and Stone Cold was turned his back on us and blah, blah, blah. And he beat the hell out of poor old Junior. God almighty. He just beat him to death. Government mule beating, just whipped his ass. That's what we're trying to do.

[Steve Austin]

Yeah, but you know what we were trying.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

I was trying to get some heat, but. And Turning Hill was.

[Steve Austin]

That was my idea.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

It was what I wanted to do. And obviously it wasn't the right thing to do. It wasn't time people didn't want to hate me. Like, to your point, you've said in past conversations I had to kind of achieve that John Wayne status. People don't want to hate John Wayne. And so, man, we were trying to do anything we could to get some heat. And I remember beating the hell out of you that night. And I had to ice my knuckles down afterwards. I remember it was a bad idea, but we damn sure tried to make it work.

[Jim Ross]

We didn't know. Look at the time, we didn't know it was a bad idea.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

I know, I know.

[Steve Austin]

But when I look back, see, because

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

I watched all this stuff, I watched match after match and listened to you call a bunch of stuff before we are talking today. And like you said, when you listen to a lot of your stuff, you're thinking, why did I say this or I should have said that? And you're hypercritical. I go back and watch some of my stuff and I did the same exact thing. And on that WrestleMania turn, like I've said in past interviews, if I could have just gone back, I would have shook Vince's hand and said, watch the stunner And I would have changed plans right there had I been able to, you know, really see ahead to what was to come. And I didn't. But turning heel just wasn't the thing to do. And that's just the way it was.

[Steve Austin]

Who's in the territory Days.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

What's the craziest damn thing you ever saw inside the squared circle?

[Jim Ross]

I think the craziest thing I ever saw that I didn't believe until was Danny Hodge making a bear run in a Battle Royal.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Come on.

[Jim Ross]

Yeah, Danny Hodge, they had a. They had a battle royal with a bear. So the bear was in a battle royal and it came down to the bear and Danny Hodge and Bill Watts, and somehow or another they'd worked it out to where Watts is going to win the Battle Royal and then get jumped by somebody.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

And this is okay with the bear?

[Jim Ross]

Well, the bear man had a gimmick. He was going to get the bear to leave the ring. I think the bear had an affinity for Pepsi Cola or something, so. Or something he smelled. So the bear was going to leave, but the bear was going to eliminate Hodge. Well, Hodge didn't want the bear to eliminate him. Just he would, he'd gonna do it, but, you know, he's just gonna have some fun first. So Hobbs goes behind the bear, reaches on the bear's around the bear's anus and pulls out a handful of short hair around the bear's butt.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Let me cut you off real quickly to my listeners who don't know who Danny Hodge is. He was a rangy fella. What, about 6'1, 205?

[Jim Ross]

Yeah.

[Steve Austin]

But he had the craziest grip strength

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

in the history of the wrestling business for sure, and probably of the world. He had the strongest grip known to man. And so then he pulls the short hairs from the anal region of the bear. Then what happened?

[Jim Ross]

And then the bear bellowed through its muzzle and with a massive swat hit Watts right on the side of the head and knocked Watts out of the ring, which eliminated him from the Battle Royal.

[Steve Austin]

Oh, come on. Is that a shoot?

[Jim Ross]

Yeah, yeah. And watches got pissed off because that was going to be an angle for the town and to come back with whoever was going to do the run in because the promos would have been, you know, I went to a battle of royal, I won the battle Royal, I had to beat a bear. Then you take advantage of me. And now let's see how tough you're going to be this week. One on one, blah, blah, blah, easy story.

[Steve Austin]

Yeah.

[Jim Ross]

And so the whole booking got tweaked a little bit there. But Hodge goes behind the bear and grabs a handful of shorthair out of his anal region. And I mean the bear was in shock and shock and awe, as Toby Keith would say. And the bear wanted out. The bear got out of the ring. The bear got scared at that point. So Hodge, after the bear slapped Watts and Watts couldn't, you know, couldn't keep from going out of the ring because this bear was, you know.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Yeah.

[Jim Ross]

The bear eliminates the cowboy. Watts is eliminated. The bear leaves. Hodge is the winner with that little sly grin on his face, like, you know what I do, you know, I didn't, I didn't mean to do anything, you know, mischievous. So I think that was probably the craziest thing that I personally ever saw. There's a story about somebody and you may have heard this story where down. It might have been in Memphis, but somewhere down south they had an invisible wrestler and a guy would wrestle by himself and take bumps and like you'd sell punches and things like that with nobody in the ring. Yeah, because the wrestler had the ability to become invisible. And some people actually bought. Was hideous, absolutely hideous. And I, we never. Watts would never try that because his, he's a tough guy philosophy. He want guys to be tough and. And our stuff was good. Hey, if you. The old school stuff between like Dr. Death and Big Bubba Rogers, aka Big Boss Man.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Yeah.

[Jim Ross]

Or Terry Gordy and Doc or One Man Gang and Gordy. All that stuff on that Mid south dvd, it is badass stuff, brother.

[Steve Austin]

I got to check that out.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

I've heard of that, but I hadn't checked it out. So you're saying the Invisible man would not work on top of a WrestleMania card?

[Jim Ross]

No, sir, I don't think so. I don't believe that. Will. I don't think that idea is ever going to get by the boss. I don't. I think as much as WWE is into entertainment, I don't think that they're going to ever take that step to where the Invisible man is going to be booked at WrestleMania.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Now the story about Watts, the Bear and Danny Hodge, that was great. I thought it was funny, but I thought it was going to be the craziest thing ever.

[Steve Austin]

And it was.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Give me the funniest thing you've ever seen inside the squared circle.

[Jim Ross]

Well, back in the mid-70s, I was doing a two camera shoot for McGurk's territory. It was a makeshift TV studio at the fairgrounds in Tulsa. And there was a guy, he was a carpenter. A carpenter was A wrestler that would help build guys. And they would lose to. Usually a carpenter. It didn't have to be a baby face or. But this guy was a heel, so he was a pretty good heel. His name was Bob Cook. Now, I don't know. It wasn't the Bob Cook that we knew later. It was a different Bob Cook. I don't even know if that was his real name, to be honest with you. This was in the about mid-70s. He wore really bright yellow tights. The tights almost got him heat, right? And he was a Tennessee train guy. And, you know, all pretty, sound, fun and great storyteller, kind of a, you know, he knew how to tell a story. Like Lawler, Dutch Mantel, Bill Dundee. All those guys. They could tell a great story, he and I. And my broadcast partner was Leroy McGurk, who was the owner of the territory. And, of course, I told the story about Leroy. He was blind. So my first color broadcast partner, commentary partner, was a blind man. Which kind of affected my style in the early going of being descriptive and so forth. Well, Bob Cook takes a big backdrop. And takes a great big old dump in his yellow tights. And there ain't no reinstir. There's no way of editing. We're live to tape. We got, like, a little room, you know, maybe 100 people in there. And, of course, it just smelled like exactly what it was, Right?

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Smell bad.

[Jim Ross]

It smelled bad, buddy.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Yeah.

[Jim Ross]

And Leroy now is blind. Well, the thing about a blind person is they have keen senses of smell.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Yes.

[Jim Ross]

So Leroy now is on TV trying to figure out what that smell is.

[Steve Austin]

But stop. How could Leroy call a match if he can't see?

[Jim Ross]

He listened to me. I'd say, well, oh, Bob Cook. Six, three, two, four. 265. A really rough guy. He's got a bad attitude. Yeah, we've heard a lot of things about this guy. He was. He didn't come here with a good reputation, but we know that he's tough. You know, Bob, you know, it fell in the blanks.

[Steve Austin]

I got you.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

I got you. That sounds good.

[Steve Austin]

Okay. So anyway, a big dump has been

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

taken in the yellow trunks.

[Jim Ross]

Yeah. And so now the people are starting to murmur, and they're starting to laugh.

[Steve Austin]

Murmur.

[Jim Ross]

Murmur is like. It's like the talk amongst yourselves on Blazing Saddle.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

I dig it.

[Jim Ross]

They're murmuring. And so Leroy, I'm trying to keep a straight face. And I've seen this guy, as you know, taking a great big crap in his britches and his tights. And so I'M I'm trying to be the straight man here and not laugh. People are laughing. Some are getting sick.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

What was his reaction?

[Jim Ross]

He'd have thrown up in a bucket. So now the smell permeates over to Leroy. And now Leroy is totally confused. His sense of smell has overtaken his memory that he's on television. And so then Leroy's commentary, obviously, we had to do. The first time I ever went in the studio and did a voiceover, was voicing over that match by myself because we didn't have it on camera. So I said, well, Leroy's stepped away for a few minutes. He'll be rejoining us later. And I had to go in the studio, never forget it down at Channel 2 in Tulsa and revoice that match because Leroy said, for God's sakes, it smells like in here, and we're on tv. Leroy, you know, come on. So I think that was probably the funniest thing I ever saw, because it was watching the audience was absolutely hysterical because they're pointing at this guy. And the thing about it is that the longer, instead of them going home and finishing the match, they thought they had to get their time in. And so the. The blot and the brown blot in his yellow tights became bigger and bigger. It ended up looking like, you know, a tasty cake. Yeah, it was huge. And then, of course, when the match was over and Leroy found out what actually happened, he was furious and furious.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

I mean, it's not like the guy could help himself. How did old Bob Cook maintain his workmanship and composure in the ring?

[Jim Ross]

He got into a overhand wrist lock and was on his back a lot, and he was selling. Or he got put in a headlock, and he's on his back a lot. He didn't. He got horizontal quick and on his back even quicker because he didn't want to expose that backside of his situation, so. But it was hilarious. The audience was laughing. And here's what Leroy couldn't figure out. Bob Cook is stomping the hell out of the baby face and beating him up. And I'm calling it with a sense of urgency. And the audience is laughing. So that was a huge disconnect for the blind man. Yeah, the heat is there. Why are they laughing at my hero getting beat up? You know, it was. I couldn't. I was on the air. We're live to tape. I couldn't stop and say I couldn't push the. We didn't have headsets. We weren't hooked to the truck. It was Just us and a stick mic, right? So I didn't have any communication to go to talk to the truck. I didn't have a talk back button. So we're just out there on an island to ourselves. We got through it and you know, we moved on. But it was that that created a guy taking a dump in yellow tights was the first time that I ever had to go do a voiceover to redo a match. Because even if it sucked, even if I sucked, even the match was horrible, you let it lay this, it aired.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Give me another crazy moment that happened in the ring that whether it was funny, crazy heat, just another extraordinary moment in the ring.

[Jim Ross]

We were in Wichita Falls, Texas one time at the 4H Club Center. We played there every Thursday and I remember refereeing there and we had. That was a $40 club. That was my max. 40 bucks. That's why you always had guys ride with you so they pay trans and help you out on your expenses. Because I knew I was going to make $40. That's going to be it. So we have a main event one night. Danny Hodge, two time Olympian, never lost in college, three national championships, Golden Gloves boxing champion, only man to ever do that. First wrestler on the COVID of Sports Illustrated, blah blah blah. Breaks flyers with his hands, apples, whatever. There's a guy that's at big Air Force guy, he was like a sergeant type guy at the Air force base there in Wichita Falls. Sitting on the front row and Hodge, Red Russell, guy named Bob Sweet hand, Bruiser Bob Sweet hand, yeah. Main event, two out of three falls and I was your referee. Well, before the match started, this guy stands up and basically starts being a heckler to Hodge, which is unheard of because he was beloved. He was always baby face. And little did this guy know that he's talking to an animal. So the guy said, you're fake and you're old and this Sweet Dan is going to, you know, beat your ass tonight, blah blah blah. Long story short, Hodge invites you into the ring.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Oh no.

[Jim Ross]

So all Hodge is going to do was shake hands with the guy. Now when he shook your hand, if he wanted to break it, he could do that. Yeah, with a handshake. He shook hands with a guy and the guy was a left handed fella. Hodge was right handed, right handed, handshake. He shook hands, he started squeezing. The guy got into, you know, went into kind of a little shock. And his left hand, he slapped Hodge right in the face. Bad move. So now Hodge goes behind the guy and some fans aren't Gonna know what this is. But he got him in a chicken wing. So he got him in a hammerlock position, and then with his left hand, he went in front of the guy's face with his right arm. And then Hodge locked his hands and chicken winged the guy. And he picked him up and he drilled him into the mat almost like he'd stick a post in the ground. And the guy opened nasty ass canvas. And the guy's ear got all mangled and started bleeding. But what was even worse was the Hodge kept him in that deal and that hole for a few seconds. And the guy was passing out, but I noticed that he was wearing khaki pants, and he had just urinated all over himself. And so that was how the business was done back in those days. And now there'd be a lawsuit. It'd make, you know, TMZ be talking about it. You know, the guy get a lawyer, he'd sue. But he ripped his. Hodge ripped the guy's arm. His shoulder was destroyed, probably rotator cuff, and just tore it all to hell. Plus, the guy was embarrassed because he had urinated himself in his khaki britches. And Steve, he went back to his seat and took his seat back on the front row, and he became the biggest Danny Hodge fan that you ever saw in your life. And he was doing like a. He couldn't move his arm to put his hand up, so he was sl. He was clapping his hands like he was, you know, had had a stroke. Yeah, that one arm, because it was ripped. But that was the legend of Danny Hodge. And this guy was a lot bigger than Hodge. This guy was probably 260 and well put together. Not just a, you know, tub of goo, right? But Hodge, he slapped Hodge in the face. And that was. It was the quickest thing I'd ever seen in my life. It was a. It was behind chicken wing slam, take down, ear ripped, and he gripped. And Hodge had that look in his face like, my God, you know, I didn't know what to do. I had never been involved in that situation before. And I kept tapping on his shoulder and, like, it's over. You know, he's give up or whatever. Finally, Danny come to his grips, and he let go of the guy, and, you know, here we are. So we roll him out of the ring, and he goes back to his seat, and the cops came, and no, Hodge let him sit there.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Well, that kind of speaks to the guy. Seems like a pretty tough little cat to get. His shoulder ripped up, his ear mangled, go one on one with Danny Hodge, Danny Hodge had to vice grip on his other hand, and then he just goes. Sits down and tries to clap with one hand. So, I mean, a normal person probably would have, you know, either took an ambulance ride or went home.

[Jim Ross]

At least a normal person would have gone to the hospital.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

He was a hell of a wrestling fan.

[Jim Ross]

Yeah, he was. He became a big Danny Hodge fan, the rest. And he was. He was a hell of a wrestling fan. He. He's one of those kind of guys, Steve, you know those old rednecks that we know where they wear a short sleeve shirt and then they turn the cuff up about. About two cuffs. You know what I mean?

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Yeah. Try to show that bicep a little bit.

[Jim Ross]

Yeah. Show their guns a little.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Yeah. I came back to haunt him back in the day, that first time when I've talked about this on the show several times with different people, but I never got your 411 on it. Where were you when Dr. D. David Schultz, slapped John Stossel when he came back here and was trying to kind of expose the business?

[Steve Austin]

And what were your thoughts on this?

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Because back then the business was protected. It was real.

[Jim Ross]

Yeah, I was working for Cowboy. I was working for Bill Watts.

[Steve Austin]

What was your thoughts?

[Jim Ross]

I liked it because that's how I was raised.

[Steve Austin]

Right.

[Jim Ross]

I was indoctrinated, you know, that's why the. The baby faces in any town stayed. Always stayed in one hotel and the. And the heels stayed in another. And there was no same hotel.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

No mingling, no. Yeah, break.

[Jim Ross]

Kayfabe club, same way. Restaurant. Same way. If you went into a truck stop or a restaurant to eat and you saw your opponent or somebody from a hill and you're a baby face, you turn around left. First guy there got to eat there. So you all that always happened. Same story I told you about Bill. If you. If you're in his territory and he lost a fight to a civilian, you were fired. So Bill cheered that what David Schultz did, Right. David Schultz was built out of that same cloth and that same mold where if you were a heel and a guy comes up to you in a convenience store, you're buying your six pack of beer for the drive to the next town. And the guy said, well, that was a great show tonight. Really enjoyed that show you guys put on. That was fighting words, provocation. It was like, show you me show you a show, Right? Bam, bam, whatever. It was bully ism at its best, but they were always in character. So I thought, because how I was raised and exposed to that got that that was probably going to be good for business. So I didn't have any issues with it. You know, I sure as hell wouldn't want to been John Stossel.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

No.

[Jim Ross]

And, but I was so brainwashed and so old school. Old school stuff embedded in me at that time. Especially for the guy that I worked for who was multi old school.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Right.

[Jim Ross]

You know, he was the kind of guy, Steve, that would, after the TV tapings in Shreveport, if you want to try out to be a wrestler, he would clear the arena and everybody would be gone. And he'd keep a handful of guys back. And then he said, I'll work out with you after the show's over. And I remember one time we had a kid in there that the big African American kid, big good looking kid. I thought, boy, this guy might be something. So Bill said, I'm going to work out with you myself. You can't beat me, you can't beat any of my guys because I'm old, I'm retired. He said, but before you do, I want you to make sure that you're loosened up and you got us, you know, you're warm. So you're going to work out with Doc Steve Williams. And that was like sending somebody to the electric chair.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

There's no way.

[Jim Ross]

But I want you to be sure. I want to be fair to you so you're loose, so I don't take advantage of you. So Doc goes in there and just wears them out. Up and down, waist lock, throwing down cross face to dry face and you know, just forearms and this ripping and tearing and. And he loved it. He loved it. He was really Dr. Death at that point.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Yeah.

[Jim Ross]

And then Bill would say, okay, Doc, that's enough. All right, kid, you ready for the old man now? So Bill would go in there and just put the boots to him and then the guy would tail between his legs, would. I remember, I remember Grizzly Smith, Jake Roberts father, he was the road agent and he was there watching. We were all there. Tv, it's after tv. This guy acted like he passed out. He didn't want no more. And so they said, should we call a doctor? So I remember Grizz and Bill standing over this guy and they're saying. Or Bill said to Grizz, Griz, first thing they're going to do is they're going to undress him and they're going to put a catheter in his penis. And this guy's eyes is like they were, they were silver dollars. They opened up big like he had heard the magic word. And he got up and he was, he was healed. It was like he had a Pentecostal evangelist lay hands on him. He was healed all immediately. And he was apologetic for wanting to be in the business. And I'll always be a big fan and I know I'm not cut out for it, but when he heard the catheter and the penis line, he came conscious. And so it was. But that was the error. That was the David Schultz thing. Same basic deal. You just, you know, there's tapes out there on YouTube of where Eddie Graham would take guys like Bob Roop and Hero Matsuda and Jack Briscoe and they'd try out guys in Tampa. And it was like going into like the scene in the basement of that pawn shop in Pulp Fiction. Yeah, it was graphic. That's my point. Graphic violence, right? Not graphic sex, but graphic violence.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Yeah.

[Jim Ross]

So that's. That was the era, man, when I

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

had my last match at WrestleMania 19 against the Rock. And you were there and did a hellacious job calling that match. A lot of emotions involved. No one really knew I was riding off in the sunset other than a couple of us. But when rock beat me, 1, 2, 3, right in the middle of the ring, I knew that that was it for me. And it felt like a big weight was lifted off my shoulders, man. I was running too hard and it was time to get out.

[Steve Austin]

And so I was going to retire.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

And it took me three years to get that out of my system. But at the time, it felt like a tremendous weight was lifted off my shoulders. When you retired, did you feel the relief that I did, just of maybe that you were free, so to speak?

[Jim Ross]

Yeah, absolutely. You know, I can't look back starting in 1993 and having a 20 year run in a high profile pressure cooker like environment and not say it wasn't a great run, but I always had a varied interest and you know, a lot of people, they're aware of Junior, good old Junior Black Hat sitting in the ringside broadcast. Didn't play by play. But, you know, I had other interests. You know, I wanted. I had interest in acquiring talent and mentoring talent, negotiating contracts, you know, writing. I've always done blogs and the Twitter thing now is a big deal. You know, I helped write your book and I wrote a couple, you know, that and another My Cook. Well, the cookbooks are so two New York Times bestsellers.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

You gonna write a book now? Autobiography.

[Jim Ross]

I'm thinking those offers are starting to mount up.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

That's a no brainer.

[Jim Ross]

Yeah, I Gotta do it. I'd love to be able to get in the booth and call a football game somewhere before it's all said and done.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Now you talking about the college level for Oklahoma.

[Jim Ross]

You know, that would be cool because I live here. You know, it's like talking to one of the boys. You know, there's still. There's very little trance involved, so. And I. And I'm a big fan of ufc. Don't know what I could do to help him, but I'd be interested in having a conversation with Dana White anytime he wanted to have one.

[Steve Austin]

Jim Ross in the ufc and Dana

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

White, boy, I tell you what, that would be pretty damn special. I got to jump on that.

[Jim Ross]

I think he's a hell of a guy. He's a lot like Vince, you know, He's a go getter.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Absolutely. I've met him a couple times. He hooked me up with some tickets. Straight up, cat tells you exactly what's on his mind. I like the way he does business. All the fighters that I've talked to say he's a man's man and sticks by his word. So that. That would definitely be an interesting endeavor for you. I'd like to see what come out of that.

[Jim Ross]

Absolutely.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Well, you know, you can follow Jim Ross rsbarbecue on Twitter. He is available for booking.

[Steve Austin]

I want to book you right now myself.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

You and me have been talking. I've owned the Broken Skull ranch for going on eight years now. I've been inviting you down ever since I bought it. I've been to your place several times, and Norman, you and Jan have always taken great care of me. But I'm inviting you down this year for deer season. You don't have to shoot anything. Sit in a deer stand with me or by yourself, whatever. But I know that you don't have to be at a Monday night raw. So I'm inviting you right here on the Steve Austin show to please come down this season.

[Jim Ross]

Amen. I know I'm not gonna. Here's the deal. I know I'm not gonna drive.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

That's right.

[Jim Ross]

I did the 700 mile round trip when I went a hog hunt with Shawn Michaels, and I had a blast. But I realized that 700 miles is just. That's a long haul, and I'm too old and I'm too spoiled. Even in an Escalade. I thought I was roughing it.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

You know, I still drive that distance back and forth. It's 1500 miles from Los Angeles.

[Steve Austin]

I know. I just love driving, but I'll always

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

put a thousand miles in that first day. And it's an ass whipper, man.

[Steve Austin]

And you know, it's a lot of work to drive.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

And, you know, hey, the show goes

[Steve Austin]

out to the working man. There's a guy in an 18 wheeler driving across the United States of America

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

and we're entertaining him.

[Steve Austin]

But it's work. But fly into San Antonio, I'll come down to my supercharged black Suburban, pick

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

you up, we'll go down to the ranch, hang out and I'll drop you back off.

[Jim Ross]

We got to stop at that Mexican place there and eat.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

We got to eat Mexican food. I got a good place and we will do it up.

[Jim Ross]

All right, buddy, you're in. I'm, I'm all for it. I. Hey, I even have a Texas hunting license.

[Steve Austin]

Oh, yeah. Hey. What? Real, real quickly, how was the extravaganza with Shawn Michaels?

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

He's kicking ass on McMillan River Adventures outdoor show with him and Keith. Mark, I love the show and that guy is happy as a clam.

[Steve Austin]

I'm so happy for Shawn Michaels because you know what, I know guys that

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

get out of this business sometimes have a hard time getting down the road to the next gig, you know what I'm saying? And Sean has fell in love with hunting for about five or six years ago and has been tremendously successful. They're a highly rated show on the Outdoor Channel. So I'm just so proud of that guy and so happy that he's so at peace with his life.

[Jim Ross]

He is the most fun guy, him and Keith, to hunt with and to be around that I, I could ever imagine. I had the best time. I, I shot around with a crossbow with a scope just to see how it would work. And then my second shot ever, we killed close to a 400 pound feral hog. And so I, I got a good, pretty good track record now, Steve. And you know, I shoot a gun and I shoot a crossbow left handed because my dad was a left handed dude and he taught me how to use shoot a gun. I shoot a pistol with my right hand. I shoot a rifle with my left hand. I'm a dangerous human being. I may be the world's most dangerous hunter. I'm not sure. I don't want that to get out there now, but I might be when all said and done. But I would love to come down to your place and as they say, harvest a buck or not, we would have a hell of a time.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Jim Ross, freshly retired from wwe. He might write an autobiography. He's going to be on the road. He's talking about taking his one man show on the road. He's got a lot of things coming at him. The greatest announcer in the history of the business, in my opinion. Obviously I want you to come back on the show. This just happened. I wanted to have you on so we could sit there and chat and

[Steve Austin]

not get specific and we didn't.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

We both love the wwe. We both love the business.

[Jim Ross]

Absolutely. Hey, I had, I had. For a wrestling fan to waddle his ass into the business like I did and to work 39 years in it was a true blessing. I mean, wrestlers don't have 39 year careers. I got into a role that I could sit there for all those years and do my thing and I wouldn't change a darn thing. It's been great.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

And man, I tell you what, I know I'm going to talk to you in a couple of days, but for all my fans around the world, listen to the Steve Austin show. Man, it was a pleasure for me to watch you call matches all from Mid south into nwa, wcw, wwe and of course during the heyday of my run in wwf. And a guy who recruited me to WCW, recruited me to wwf and then it turned to E and to be the guy that knew how to heap praise on the character that was stone cold. And I owe a big part of my success to the way you laid it down for me and have always been there for me as a friend and my neck surgeon and all that. So anyway, glad you got a weight off your chest. One of my closest friends. Thank you for coming on the show.

[Jim Ross]

Okay, buddy, anytime. Everything's good. It's all good in Oklahoma. And I'll just say one thing. Boomer Sooner.

[Steve Austin]

Boomer sooner is Steve Austin. I'm going to come back and wrap up this extravaganza talking with my buddy Jim Ross.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

We're going to bring it on down home in a minute.

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[Steve Austin]

All right everybody, Steve Austin Show. As you know, before I wrap this thing up and go home, as we would say in the wrestling business, sayonar. See you down the road, ride off into the sunset. Remember folks, you can follow me on Twitter teveaustin BSR. You can also check out my website, broken skull ranch.com and before I take care of all the business, I want to throw out a little bit of Amazon love out there. And thank you people for supporting the show. Because when you go to podcast1.com and click on the Steve Austin show and then click on that Amazon banner, it kicks back a small percentage of the sales to keep me up and running. You can also take a shortcut by going to steveaustinshow.com clicking on that Amazon banner. It does the same thing. I ain't telling you to buy nothing, but if you do, it helps keep the show on the air for free. Amazon Love I appreciate you supporting the show. I enjoyed talking to my buddy Jim Ross. Great stories as always. Bob Cook in the yellow trunks messing his pants.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

I've been there and I did it.

[Steve Austin]

I didn't do it to the degree that he did and I wasn't wearing yellow trunks. That was a great story. Is also good to hear the story

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

about my old buddy Danny Hodge and

[Steve Austin]

to help you guys understand who that guy was. He was just.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

Well, he wasn't old back then, but

[Steve Austin]

he was about six'1, 205, just like we said. And for some reason, Danny Hodge had vice grips for hands. Everybody in the history of the business knows that Danny Hodge has the strongest hands attached to any human being that has ever walked the face of the earth.

[Interviewer (Steve Austin)]

For him to throttle a guy who

[Steve Austin]

came into the ring puts a smile on my face. But then again, I'm from the professional wrestling world. It's a weird world. It's a world you loved or you wouldn't be listening to this show. I got all kinds of good stuff coming up for you folks. I'm going to change a few things around in the show. Just like I said, Tuesday's show, family friendly. Thursday's on the Edge Unleashed. But I'm also going to be incorporating some new ideas. I have to further guarantee that every time you download the sas, you have just downloaded a big ass can of audio. Whoop ass. That's all I got to say about that. I'm Steve Austin, and I'll catch your ass down the road.

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[Jim Ross]

Fant?

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[Jim Ross]

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[Jim Ross]

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[Jim Ross]

That is so fast.

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