Jim Ross Blogs: A Wrestler's Union, His Hat, More
Jim Ross has posted another blog on his website at https://www.JRSBARBQ.com/ Here are some highlights:
On there being a rule in WWE about his black hat: NO...there were never any official or unofficial 'hat rules' regarding my black hat as someone asked on Twitter. Austin wore my hat at WM25 in an impromptu moment which I felt was cool as hell. However, I don't share my hat with fans who want to take their picture wearing it. I also don't ask to borrow a stranger's tooth brush.
On his employment status: Yes...for goodness' sakes I am STILL employed by WWE. I'm a consultant for Talent Relations and perform various and at times random functions within that department. There are NO plans for me to return to weekly, WWE TV. NO plans. That aspect of my career with WWE is OVER. No...I am not bitter. I had a wonderful 'run' and to complain about it would be ridiculous. There are enough bitter, ex wrestlers out there who can provide folks that need it with plenty of 'dirt' and 'poor me' stories that I don't need to add to the misery. Mel Gibson should provide every one their quota for bitter behavior.
On a wrestler's union: A wrestling unions would not have solved the issues that many wrestlers have had over the years. Walk in clinics, shady doctors, hiring the wrong people, and a changing society in general would have prevailed in a battle with a wrestling union. What can be done to erase many of the perceived issues that have plagued pro wrestling in the past few generations? I wish I had a fool proof answer but when dealing with human beings there are no guarantees or answers that are always right. I do endorse zero tolerance for all banned substances. I endorse on going , through education to teach wrestlers young and old alike about the evils of drug and alcohol abuse. I endorse recruiting as high a quality of a human being and world class athlete as is possible but that too is a gamble and provides no guarantee that those individuals will remain 'issue free'. Extensive education, constant mentoring, monitoring every athlete's behavior as much as possible, continued random testing, and a never ending search for new solutions to stay up with new ways to cheat are some of the issues that one could consider for what is becoming a societal issue that plagues all pro sports and various forms of entertainment.
One last thing on a wrestling union...it would be almost comical to see a group of wrestlers attempt to form a union because there would likely be a b—hfest on what to order for lunch, where to have the meeting, etc not to mention who to elect as the head of the union and subsequent decision makers. An outsider would likely be needed and to find an outsider with product knowledge, although not impossible, would not be easy. Forget the wrestler's union theory as it isn't going to happen inmy life time at least.
Be sure to check out the full blog at https://www.JRSBARBQ.com/ These are always excellent reads.