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http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_76155.shtml#.UvgBkn9ik6c
"Retired" WWE announcer Jim Ross opened up about his WWE departure last summer in an interview with Josh Stewart for "Newsday" promoting Ross's upcoming "one man show" in New York City.
Ross's departure centered on a pre-Summerslam Q&A session in August that included Ric Flair on the panel. Ross, the host, recognized an issue with Flair's condition, so he thought the heat would have been on Flair, not himself. However, when Flair went off the rails, WWE management put blame on Ross for the event, which was produced by WWE's video game partner, 2K Sports.
"I knew that when it was over, a lot of the top WWE officials were very anxious to get Ric Flair out of the facility," Ross said. "So I knew there was some concern there, but I didn't know that the concern involved me."
Ross described Flair as "obviously impaired" and said he "should not have been on the panel." As Ross described it, the events that led to Ross's departure "started out of misinformation that I had been drinking with Flair all day."
Ross said, "The issue was that if they [WWE officials] had checked their schedule, I had been booked all day with WWE activities and SummerSlam that had nothing to do with Ric Flair." Ross added that "a handful of misguided, misinformed WWE people" perpetuated the story, which then led to Ross's departure in September.
"My job was to keep the rudder in the water," Ross said. "I didn't do that. And so, the decision was made that we part ways."
Even though Ross went out on a low-note, Ross suggested that he now sees the events as a good thing because he was "really looking for an opportunity to move on."
"I wanted to get into the podcast business, I wanted to get into one-man show stuff," Ross said. "I wanted to look at other opportunities, like this Fox Sports thing that I'm doing now. And I knew I couldn't do those things while I was under contract to the WWE. But to be honest, to be totally frank with you, I had such a loyalty to that company, and I still do, that after 20 years I didn't know how I was going to say goodbye."
"Retired" WWE announcer Jim Ross opened up about his WWE departure last summer in an interview with Josh Stewart for "Newsday" promoting Ross's upcoming "one man show" in New York City.
Ross's departure centered on a pre-Summerslam Q&A session in August that included Ric Flair on the panel. Ross, the host, recognized an issue with Flair's condition, so he thought the heat would have been on Flair, not himself. However, when Flair went off the rails, WWE management put blame on Ross for the event, which was produced by WWE's video game partner, 2K Sports.
"I knew that when it was over, a lot of the top WWE officials were very anxious to get Ric Flair out of the facility," Ross said. "So I knew there was some concern there, but I didn't know that the concern involved me."
Ross described Flair as "obviously impaired" and said he "should not have been on the panel." As Ross described it, the events that led to Ross's departure "started out of misinformation that I had been drinking with Flair all day."
Ross said, "The issue was that if they [WWE officials] had checked their schedule, I had been booked all day with WWE activities and SummerSlam that had nothing to do with Ric Flair." Ross added that "a handful of misguided, misinformed WWE people" perpetuated the story, which then led to Ross's departure in September.
"My job was to keep the rudder in the water," Ross said. "I didn't do that. And so, the decision was made that we part ways."
Even though Ross went out on a low-note, Ross suggested that he now sees the events as a good thing because he was "really looking for an opportunity to move on."
"I wanted to get into the podcast business, I wanted to get into one-man show stuff," Ross said. "I wanted to look at other opportunities, like this Fox Sports thing that I'm doing now. And I knew I couldn't do those things while I was under contract to the WWE. But to be honest, to be totally frank with you, I had such a loyalty to that company, and I still do, that after 20 years I didn't know how I was going to say goodbye."
