WWE Missed Opportunities with AEW Talent, Says Jim Ross

Jim Ross, a well-known former WWE commentator, recently commented on Billy Gunn’s career after his King of the Ring victory in 1999. On an episode of “Grilling JR,” Ross wept over that WWE did not use Gunn to the maximum advantage during his stint with the company.

According to Ross, “Billy Gunn had all the attributes you would want in a top wrestler: good looks, strength, agility, and a good knowledge of wrestling. However, it seemed like he never fully trusted him”. He also said that King of the Ring awarding him so early as Mr.

Ass could have set Billy back, according to some WWE officers.

Gunn’s Wasted Potential

Ross noted that his push within WWE dwindled rapidly after winning this title. By 2000, WWE had moved away from using Mr. Ass as a gimmick because they did not agree with me on this one”.

“I don’t know that we ever got everything out of Billy Gunn that he deserved. We could have done more positive things with him,” he said. According to Ross, Gunn’s physicality and ring work called for more than he was given then.

The critic goes on to discuss how decisions are made at WWE, which suggests a contradiction between talent potential and its allocation or utilization. Per Ross, such underutilization may have diverted Gun’s career path, thus denying him and his fans memorable performances and championship reigns.

In today’s All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Gunn has found success outside of WWE and notably is seen by many as one of its greatest stars almost thirty years later, who has gone on to become half of The Acclaimed tag team champions alongside Max Caster & Anthony Bowens.

Ross’ remarks underscore a familiar theme across wrestling how to optimally utilize talent capacities. As such stories progressively emerge in an industry burgeoning towards this trend, fanatics and insiders alike will continue talking about wrestling creativity intricacy.