Jim Ross isn’t buying the idea that Vince McMahon is ready to walk away from professional wrestling.
While speaking on the latest edition of Grilling JR, the WWE Hall of Famer was asked what he expects McMahon to do next following his departure from WWE. Ross didn’t hesitate, saying retirement simply doesn’t fit McMahon’s personality and predicting he’ll eventually find his way back into the wrestling business in one form or another.
“He ain’t out of the game. Vince isn’t out of the game. That’s just not his makeup. What he’s going to do? One would assume he’ll have maybe some things to do with wrestling, because that’s where he made his way. So I don’t know, man. The world’s open to him. It seems like a lot of things interest him. He likes wrestling, and I think that’s where I’d see him headed.”
One possibility Ross doesn’t see happening is Vince McMahon showing up in AEW. Asked whether McMahon could ever work with Tony Khan’s promotion, Ross quickly dismissed the idea, saying he believes both sides would rather go in different directions.
“Unlikely. Unlikely. He’s going to steer his own ship, build his own boat, and take it from there. Off top of my head, I’d say probably not, and I don’t see Tony Khan wanting to do business with him either.”
That led to another question: if McMahon isn’t heading to AEW, could he simply buy another wrestling company instead? Ross certainly didn’t rule it out.
“It’s possible. It’s possible. Yeah, of course, it’s possible. Money won’t be an object. He’s got the cash to do whatever the hell he wants. At least that’s what I think.”
Even if McMahon doesn’t purchase an existing promotion, Ross believes it’s only a matter of time before he becomes involved in wrestling again because it’s the industry he knows better than anything else.
“I can’t see him migrating too far from the barn where all the animals are. That would be my guess. That’s all it is, is a guess, that he’s going to be doing something that allows him to display his product knowledge, and God Almighty, he’s got plenty of product knowledge. He should be fine.”
Ross’ comments come just days after Dave Meltzer speculated that McMahon could eventually make a limited return to WWE in a ceremonial or figurehead role, while stressing he doesn’t believe McMahon will ever regain any real decision-making power inside the company.
Ross, however, sees McMahon’s future differently. Rather than returning to WWE, he believes the former chairman’s competitive nature will ultimately pull him back toward wrestling on his own terms.
Do you think Vince McMahon will ever return to the wrestling business, or is his time in the industry finally over? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
