Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: aew, wrasslin, wrestling

Jim Ross Joins AEW as Senior Advisor

Published Wed, 03 Apr 2019 11:18:37 -0500

It's official: Jim Ross has signed a three-year deal with All Elite Wrestling to become a Senior Advisor in what the company is calling "the most lucrative deal in pro wrestling commentary history." Ross will appear at AEW's Double or Nothing event, and will also "work closely with the senior leaders at AEW on their roadmap to shift and reinvent the wrestling landscape," according to a press release.

AEW President and money mark Tony Khan said of the deal:

I've been part of the wrestling community since I was 7 years old, and there's no greater thrill than welcoming the voice that I grew up with, Jim Ross, to our AEW family. We all share a common goal to make this the true golden age, to make this the greatest time ever to be a professional wrestling fan. And, as a business, we also seek to make this a new golden age for the performers and our staff members. Our entire team is thrilled to have Jim onboard and we can't wait to shake things up together.

While Executive Vice President Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks said:

We're all excited about having the legendary voice of our childhood come here and help the new generation of talent with his expertise," said Nick Jackson, EVP at AEW.

Ross, who recently ended his deal with WWE and has been teasing joining AEW, had this to say:

I'm moving on in a very positive way to this timely opportunity to be on the ground floor of one of the most exciting moments in the history of pro wrestling. "I've known Tony, Cody, The Young Bucks and Kenny for a long time, and I know they're going to change the world of pro wrestling. Their roster is already packed with top-level talent and up-and-comers. They've got a huge show coming up in May. They've brought in game-changing partners like KultureCity. And they've got an all-inclusive, welcoming culture like I've never seen before. I'm ready to change the world with them.

AEW has yet to announce a TV deal, which is the major thing holding them back from becoming a major competitor to WWE. AEW currently has the hottest buzz in North American wrestling for an "indy" promoter since the heydey of ECW, in this reporter's humble estimation, and it will be very interesting to see what happens when they begin producing regular content.