Jim Ross On Why He Dislikes Intergender Matches: "It Doesn't Seem Plausible, It Doesn't Seem Real"

During a recent episode of the Grilling JR Podcast on the career of former WWE Superstar Chyna, Jim Ross talked about Chris Jericho working with her. Ross said he talked to Jericho before one of the recent AEW shows about his matches with Chyna. Ross explained the issues in those days with Chyna wrestling a man and noted that none of the promoters back then would have ever booked an intergender bout.

"It went against a lot of things Chris believed in when he first got in the business being trained in Calgary," Ross said. "Do you think Stu Hart would have booked a woman vs. a man? I don't. Cowboy [Bill Watts]? Nope. Eddie Graham? Nope. Vince Sr.? Nope. Because they want to protect the business, it isn't a spectacle in that regard, it is an athletic event.

"A woman, even though she had amazing stature, a great look, all that stuff, beating a male was still hard to accept in that era. I never accepted it and I just wasn't ready for it. I'm still not a big fan of intergender matches and I know I'll get criticized for that too."

Ross mentioned believes that intergender matches take away from the real aspect of wrestling and turns it into a spectacle.

"It doesn't seem plausible, it doesn't seem real," Ross said. "The more things we do in wrestling today in any company that takes me out of the moment that isn't plausible is not good for the business. End of story."

Ross was asked a question about Jericho working stiff against Chyna and noted that Jericho always has. He mentioned how Jericho never had any issues dealing with Chyna because if he did, he would have had the matches changed.

"I don't remember there being a significant issue," Ross said. "I'm sure Chris being trained in the dungeon in Calgary, son of a former NHL goon, he might not have thought that was becoming of his wrestling career. I could see that, a lot of guys had that same feeling but I never heard it made public from Chris. If it had been a big big deal, the matches would not have occurred."

Ross continued to mention how Chyna would have never been in her situation had it not been for Vince McMahon's blessing. He said Chyna wanted to handle a bulk of her creative and refused to wrestle women.

"She wouldn't have gotten those opportunities if the [Vince] had not signed off on it," Ross said. "He still was not sold on her wrestling men but he eventually warmed up to that as well because she did wrestle men. I never warmed up to that as I said, it just seemed to be unbelievable. I may be too set in my ways, I'll admit that, but I've never been able to get over that hump.

"I know that's going to piss off Tessa Blanchard fans and all these other fans, it's no disrespect to any of those women. I don't think men should wrestle women either. This ain't Jim Carey the inter-gender champion on the Tonight Show. It's supposed to be a real sporting endeavor but maybe we're too far from that to be considered any longer."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Grilling JR with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.