Jim Ross Reveals Vince McMahon's "Dr. Heiney" Sketch Brought His Wife To Tears
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After a 25-year up and down working relationship, WWE opted to not renew Jim Ross' contract in 2019. That paved the way for him to join AEW but Ross discussed his relationship with Vince McMahon when he joined The Wrestling Inc Daily podcast.
"It's complex at times. We both have very strong personalities and big egos. I wasn't the easiest guy to manage at times, I'll admit that. I had some big issues with opioids that I had to get under control and I had a lot of health issues that a lot of people didn't realize how serious they were," revealed Ross. "I worked through a lot of them ? or tried to ? until I couldn't do it anymore. I had 13 inches of my intestines removed which led to the Dr. Heiney sketch on Raw."
JR then recalled coming out of that surgery, being on a morphine drip and Vince calling to tell him they were going to do something for him on Raw. He then went home, took a nap and woke up to his wife crying and a total mess.
"I thought maybe her mom and dad, who were both elderly, maybe she got a bad call," stated Ross. "But she said to me, 'Why does he do that?' She explained to me what he did on the show and I didn't have an answer for her. I don't have an answer for you. I can tell you this about Vince and my relationship ? we accomplished some amazing things. Look at the rosters we created?
"I just thought he was important to tell this story because it's a story of survival. It's a story that you don't have to quit when you get a bad hand dealt to you and God knows I had plenty of bad hands dealt to me, some of my own causing. I'm not blaming Vince for nothing. I was hard to manage at times because I had a very important role that a lot of people wanted. I was a target for some people, in my mind.
"We still communicate from time to time and I consider him a friend and mentor. He taught me a lot but I wasn't the easiest guy for him to handle. That was my fault, not Vince's fault. Thank God I grew from that and some sobering moments in my life caused me to mature better and it's not always about me. I stopped trying to solve everyone's problems which is what I finally realized."
JR then revealed that now when he leaves his house, he carries no personal baggage with him. He's gotten rid of the negative people in his life and he doesn't talk to many of the boys because they are paranoid about their lot in life.
"I've changed my attitude in a lot of ways. I refuse to put all the burden on Vince McMahon's attitude. He made me a lot of money and I'm very blessed and thankful for that. He taught me a lot but we sometimes had philosophical differences that I did not allow to play out well," admitted Ross. "I wanted it to be my way. I was very defensive of the roster so when talent was being criticized by those I didn't believe had the ability to criticize in an intelligent way, I stood up for them. Sometimes I stood up for them in a very coarse and unprofessional way.
"We had a lot of success there and I'm proud of that. I'm more proud of the guys we signed and we facilitated getting on the team so they could see how well they could play on that level than I am about my broadcasting work. Some may find that hard to believe because the broadcasting was more public, but the coaching, managing and recruiting of talents is probably my proudest achievement in the business since 1974."
Jim Ross' new book "Under The Black Hat" is available now and can be purchased HERE. Jim's full interview with Wrestling Inc aired as part of a recent episode of our podcast, The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as it's released Monday – Friday afternoon: by clicking here.