Jim Ross

Jim Ross 2023: Biography, Net Worth, Family, Income

Jim Ross was born on January 3rd, 1952 in Fort Bragg, California, and is a professional wrestling commentator currently signed with All Elite Wrestling.

Ross began his career in the wrestling industry began in 1974 when he started working for the Universal Wrestling Federation/Mid-South Wrestling as an announcer and referee until 1977 when he became the promotion’s lead play-by-play commentator.

His break came in 1987 when MSW was bought by Jim Crockett Promotions where he became the head play-by-play man for the National Wrestling Alliance. Following Ted Turner’s buyout of JCP in 1991, which turned the promotion to World Championship Wrestling, Ross was promoted to the head of broadcasting. He remained in this position until 1993 when his tumultuous relationship with Eric Bischoff led to his release from the company.

Later that year, he made his way to WWF and made his on-screen debut at WrestleMania IX alongside Bobby Heenan. However, Ross was released a year later, which lead to a spell in Jim Cornette‘s Smokey Mountain Wrestling. Ross was then rehired by WWF to fill in for Vince McMahon, who was under indictment by the federal government in the steroid trial but was fired shortly after for allegedly leaking inside information to journalists. However, he was hired again at the end of 1994 to work on WWF’s syndicated programming.

Ross returned to television in 1996 as a vehicle to introduce the ill-fated fake Deisel and Razor Ramon, however, the angle was poorly received and quickly dropped resulting in Ross returning to commentary where he became a mainstay in the announcer’s booth. His passionate storytelling and descriptions of the in-ring action quickly made him a fan favourite and one of the most recognizable voices in professional wrestling. Ross’ iconic calls especially during Stone Cold Steve Austin’s rise to prominence, elevated the excitement and drama of WWF’s programming.

In 1998 he suffered a second attack of Bell’s Palsy, which forced him off television for several months but he returned as the voice of Raw Is War in 1999. Beyond his commentary duties, Ross took on multiple roles within WWE. He served as Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and was key in discovering and signing many future wrestling stars, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and John Cena.

After being inducted into the WWE Hall of Famer by Steven Austin in 2007, was drafted to SmackDown during the 2008 Draft ending his 12-year run on Monday Night Raw. He remained on the blue brand until 2009 when he stepped down from his full-time role. He continued to make appearances throughout the years and in 2011 he came to the aid of his longtime broadcast partner Jerry “The King” Lawler, who was feuding with Michael Cole. During the feud, Ross teamed with Lawler against Cole and Jack Swagger on three occasions.

At WrestleMania XXVIII, he returned to call the ‘End of an Era’ Hell in a Cell match between Triple H and The Undertaker before joining the NXT team later that year. While in NXT he coached and produced new announcers at the WWE Performance Center. In 2013, he announced he was leaving the company as his contract expired and wasn’t to be renewed.

Outside the WWE, Ross lent his voice and expertise to New Japan Pro-Wrestling before returning to the company for the WrestleMania 33 main event match between The Undertaker and Roman Reigns. He also joined Lita at the commentary table for the Mae Young Classic and Lawler at Raw 25 Years at the Manhatten Center before leaving in 2019.

He then joined All Elite Wrestling as a commentator and senior advisor where he provides commentary for Collision, pay-per-views and Rampage.

Net Worth

Jim Ross has an estimated net worth of $4 million.

Family

Jim Ross was married to Jan Gillette who sadly passed away in 2017. They have two daughters together.

Income

Jim Ross reportedly earns $600,000 per year for his AEW duties but also receives income from his Grilling JR podcast and JR’s Family BBQ sauce.

Record

According to Cagematch.net, Jim Ross has competed in a total of 9 matches. Of those matches 5 are wins, 3 were losses and 1 was a draw giving him a winning percentage of 55.6%

WWE Career

WWE Hall of Fame – 2007