AEW's Jim Ross Says This WWE Star Is A 'Good Soldier,' Treats Business With Respect

AEW announcer Jim Ross has been in the pro wrestling industry for fifty years and still has feels he has more matches he can call. In that half-century, Ross has worked with so many people that he could fill a city phone book with their names. On "Grilling JR," Ross gave high praise to one of the people who would be in his phone book, a current member of the WWE roster whom Ross helped bring into the company in 2002.

"I remember vividly recruiting Rey [Mysterio] and getting him signed. We had a big meeting in Los Angeles, and he had several months left on his contract, big money contract, and he was willing to forsake that if we signed him," Ross recalled. "It was a good hire obviously; he's lasted a long time."

Mysterio's contract that Ross referred to was from WCW and the Time Warner contracts that gave recipients guaranteed income until the specified expiration. Ross was supportive of Mysterio waiting out the remainder of his Time Warner contract, providing a comfortable welcome into WWE and not wanting to rush his debut. Looking back on what he saw of his fellow WWE Hall of Famer, Ross continued his hat tip to the masked wonder.

"He has never disappointed, he's always made his bookings, he's not a pain in the ass, he's just a real good solider and a great teammate, so I'm a big Rey Mysterio guy," Ross would say. "He does things the right way, he treats the business the right way: with respect, and I love him for that."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Grilling JR" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.