Jim Ross On John Cena - Roman Reigns Promos Getting Personal, Talent Issues With The WWE Schedule

The infamous promo between John Cena and Roman Reigns from August will likely be one of the most memorable moments in the WWE in 2017. During an interview on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Jim Ross gave his thoughts on the contentious exchange between WWE's two biggest superstars.

Cena and Reigns dug deep for their war of words leading up to their match at No Mercy. The promo was so good, even breaking the fourth wall at times, that it left many fans wondering how much of it was real and how much of it was written by the WWE. Ross said he was surprised by how personal it was, but he knows firsthand how much competition can feed into wrestlers wanting to go the extra mile.

"I was surprised that it got this personal as it did and real. The situation behind the scenes that the audience is not aware of is the keen competition," Ross said. "If you want to make the big bread and have your name above the title; you know, Steve Austin vs Hulk Hogan above WrestleMania; there's only a few that can get their names up there, so there is always competition for that spot. John Cena has already had that spot, and is now ready to transition to a lesser role because of his schedule and age, and his life. I think he threw the gauntlet down to challenge Roman Reigns; apparently you are going to be looking for your successor and for that you have a lot of work to do."

Ross compared Cena to superstars like The Rock who have made a successful transition to life outside the WWE, saying he could see Cena go down that same route.

"I believe Cena will be following Rock to the big screen in the big time, and Steve Austin has his thing on CMT with the 'Broken Skull Challenge,' John Cena is on the Today Show from time to time as well," Ross said.

Ross also discussed the tough schedule in the WWE. Recently, news broke that Nia Jax needed a break from the hectic travel required by WWE superstars. Ross said he believes the difference in today's culture is what separates current wrestlers from superstars of the past who didn't have a problem with performing for all 52 weeks of the year.

"I think the same conversations have been had in the NFL locker room and in the NBA. I believe it's because kids are being parented differently," Ross said. "The athletes that are in the 20-somethings have a different upbringing of the 20-somethings before them in my view. I think a lot of the issues have a lot to do with parenting. I cover it in my book with my wife wanted me to cover it because it was important to me. I wasn't a very important father because I was a workaholic, and these guys can get guilt, anxiety, they are on the road, they are an absentee father; a lot of them are missing home."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Herd with Colin Cowherd with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Peter Bahi contributed to this article.