Jim Ross just threw gasoline on the AEW-WWE war by claiming AEW has more legitimate professional wrestling fans inside its locker room. JR admitted he’s biased, but he still believes AEW’s wrestlers have a level of passion that WWE may not match.
The WWE Hall of Famer made the claim during Grilling JR while discussing AEW’s final shows before All In at Wembley Stadium. Ross praised the company’s recent television and said even AEW’s biggest critics cannot deny how much its wrestlers put into their work.
“They’ve done a great job of doing television. Whether you like AEW or not, you can’t discount the effort and the skills that we see from the talent. They’re a bunch of self-starters, and they are passionate.”
Ross then took the comparison straight to WWE. He believes AEW has more people who are genuine fans of professional wrestling—not simply performers working for a wrestling company.
“I would bet you that we have more legitimate pro wrestling fans in AEW than WWE has. I just believe that, but I might be wrong, and I am very biased, admittedly.”
Conrad Thompson asked if Ross was suggesting that WWE attracts more sports-entertainment fans while AEW appeals to the “down-and-dirty” professional wrestling crowd. Ross agreed, but added that his point also applied to the wrestlers working for each company.
“Yeah, I think so—and the talent. I think with AEW’s talent roster, you’ll see great effort on Sunday. You’ll see some matches where everybody wants to steal the show.”
JR didn’t stop there. He questioned whether WWE wrestlers bring that same desire to outperform everyone else on the card, though he immediately said he wasn’t attacking WWE or holding a grudge against his former employer.
“I don’t know that you get that at WWE. You might. I’m not knocking them. I’m not mad or bitter. I’m just making an observation.”
Ross expects the AEW locker room to treat All In like the biggest opportunity of the year. In his eyes, every wrestler on the card will be fighting to have the match fans remember when the show is over.
“I know that the talents this Sunday will be working their asses off. Every match, every guy and every gal will want to have the best match they’ve had to date this year, steal the show and have another outstanding pay-per-view presentation.”
The comment is guaranteed to irritate WWE fans, especially since Ross spent decades as one of the most recognizable voices in WWE history. He now works for AEW, and he wasn’t pretending to be neutral while comparing the two locker rooms.
Ross didn’t say WWE’s wrestlers lack talent or passion across the board. His argument was that AEW has more people who live and breathe professional wrestling—and he believes that obsession will show when they hit the ring at Wembley Stadium.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
Do you agree with Jim Ross that AEW has more legitimate professional wrestling fans in its locker room than WWE? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
