Jim Ross Talks Pitching Major Shawn Michaels WWE Return

Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, AEW lead commentator Jim Ross has opened up about pitching for Shawn Michaels to return to WWE (then WWF) in 2001. This was three years into Michaels’ four-year hiatus from the ring.

Ross revealed that he actually wanted Shawn Michaels to return to WWE and have a similar role to the one he has now in NXT, where he is helping to produce and coach the younger talent on the black and gold brand:

“My pitch to Shawn was always that you can’t allow your legacy to end this way. You have put a bad taste in peoples mouth whether inadvertently or premeditatedly, I don’t know and I don’t really care. Right now the perception of you is not so positive. For a guy thats considered to be, along with Ric Flair, the two greatest in ring performers of all time, that’s just not right. It’s not right for you or your fans.

“I just wanted to get [Shawn] back in the fold. You could be a great help, much like he’s doing now in NXT. He’s a boyhood hero for a lot of these cats. You could be a big big benefit without ever taking a bump. You could tell by the twinkle in his eye, he loved that challenge, he wanted to get back and change his image and perception he had acquired. There’s no doubt he wanted to be back in the ring. He had the ego, the confidence that he wanted to go back and prove he could still do this. When he came back a year later, he didn’t miss a step.”

What are your thoughts on the above story? Let us know in the comments on Twitter or Facebook.

Thanks to WrestlingInc for the transcription.