Since I was a young wrestling fan, I've been fascinated by super heavyweights and was always amazed at Yokozuna's amazing grace and agility. How could a man who was so large still remain so athletic and retain perfect in-ring timing and spot-on psychology?
— Jim Ross
It has been my experience that the greatest performers in the genre of sports-entertainment are usually natural extensions of their own, true personality.
Tough wrestlers have never been uncommon. Competing and performing through injuries, enduring crazy travel schedules and wrestling with no offseason just lends itself for one to have to be tough to make it long term and with success in sports-entertainment.
Freebird Michael Hayes was my first broadcast partner who was a pure, 100% antagonist. Hayes and I joined forces during Cowboy Bill Watts' attempt at expanding the Mid-South brand by renaming Mid-South Wrestling the Universal Wrestling Federation.
Over the years, I've had many talented broadcast partners that have helped me grow as an announcer.
Men should know that no job is more important than their family. I had that all screwed up for a long time. I regret it.
The Rock had the amazing athletic abilities that few people are gifted with, but he also had the burning desire to be the best, and none of that can be denied.
Whether I stay on the air on a weekly basis or I don't, that's not my call. But I've had such a blessed career that if it ended tomorrow, I've got nothing to complain about.
I used to roll my eyes when I heard the term 'workaholic,' but I guess if the shoe fits, you got to wear it.
I've always believed that if you are in the WWE system, that in two years or less, the staff should be able to tell who's a keeper and who's not.
I don't like losing at anything, but it's not the end of the world if you beat me.
I can never agree with people that say 'Cena's overexposed.'
I've just been so blessed in my journey. Fat kid from Oklahoma, buddy - Southern accent and Bell's palsy, becoming a broadcaster and hanging around a fickle business for 40 years. You wonder how in the hell that happened. It was somebody's plan.
When one chooses a life as a public personality they give up certain levels of privacy but in one's home and intimate moments everyone should be protected.
I can't change history but only learn from it.
I had a very humble upbringing, earned everything I got, and learned how challenging it is in the pro wrestling business.
Vince was so great at the 'Mr. McMahon' character that some people think he wouldn't want to help people in real life, and that's just not true.
Sports-entertainment has provided me with many blessings, but nothing was ever more unpredictable and fun than hanging with Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, who, in my opinion, are the greatest incarnation of The Four Horsemen and the most important faction to ever step into the ring.
The best incarnation of The Four Horsemen was undoubtedly the unit comprised of Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, along with talented manager JJ Dillon, which will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012.
In the early 1900s, wrestlers who attained main event success were largely all tough men who could handle themselves in any environment whether it be in a wrestling ring or a tavern.
My first broadcast partner provided color commentary even though he was totally blind. Leroy McGuirk was a former NCAA Wrestling Champion at Oklahoma State University and long time kingpin of the NWA Junior Heavyweight Division before losing his sight in a car accident in Little Rock in the early 1950s.
Working alongside Tony Schiavone was pivotal in my growth as a broadcaster.
I've been selling things all my life. I sold wrestling for a long time. I sold the talent and sold the matches.
It takes a very unique individual to be a star, and a main event star.
If there was a Mount Rushmore for pro wrestling cities, Chicago and New York would be on there.
There's a lot of brands around the world that want to get exposed in the U.S.A.
They always say you don't want to follow a legend. A few have been able to do that. I think Bill Cowher followed Chuck Noll pretty well with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But it's hard to do at a lot of places.
Like many kids, I grew up sports-minded.
People think you can wave a magic wand and create a star, that couldn't be further from the truth. People think that a promoter has all the cards and the talents are merely pawns and they have very little do with the bigger success, when they have most of their success because of what they do.
You can't go to Amazon and order a book on how you handle grief. There's books on it, sure. But there's no tried and true manual. You just have to live that out. There's no formula to heal.
I'm a fan of Lucha Underground and hope they are successful.
Jericho uses tried and true, fundamental pro wrestling villain techniques to make him effective. He's a master in ring psychologist.
All of the pivotal moments in my adult life are connected to the wrestling business.
Walking away from a problem is never a solution. Never. Solve the problem.
I look back upon those days in the Crockett/Turner era of The Four Horsemen and often wonder how I made it out alive. Perhaps my contract had some fine print on it that said, 'Associating with The Four Horsemen can be hazardous to one's health.'
That may be the ultimate definition of toughness inside the squared circle - having the will to overcome a serious injury to return to elite status as a main eventer.
There have always been extraordinarily tough men in the business of sports-entertainment. My view is that one can't be in the sports-entertainment business successfully and long term without being tough.
Broadcasting is a team effort and two, or three, individuals not functioning as a team cannot be as effective as they can if they set aside their own agendas and focus on what they see on their TV monitors and embellish the TV personas of the talents involved. I've been blessed to have had many outstanding partners.
There's no way in hell I'm supposed to be on television or be a broadcaster of any regard. But I have defied those odds because I believe in this: I am damn sure not going to let somebody else define who I am.
My folks, I don't think my mom or my dad ever missed a little league game or a football game.
It doesn't matter if you have a six-minute match on 'Superstars,' go out and steal the show. Go have a great, solid match. Somebody's going to say, 'Who cares about 'Superstars?' Nobody watches it. And it's only six minutes.' That's the wrong attitude. That's a loser's attitude, and that's what I've told dozens of talents.
Slobberknocker: My Life in Wrestling' is really not a wrestling book. It's a book about life, and there's a great love story in this book. There are great life lessons in this book about not allowing others to define you.
The first thing that you need to be a draw, to be a star, is the intangible 'It' factor. You cannot manufacture 'It,' you cannot replicate 'It.'
I grew up in Oklahoma.
John Cena's work ethic is beyond reproach. It's been phenomenal to see what he does and he's made himself a brand.
One of my biggest fears, in both my personal and business life, is residing too long in my comfort zone.
When you grow up on a farm, you grow up fast.
Many talents hurt themselves by over thinking the business and doing too much which waters every thing down and makes major moves mean less.
There are many ways to do something right within the world of pro wrestling.
I'm a wrestling fan with a phenomenal journey.
