Jim Ross called the 1988 match between Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair in Chicago for the NWA world heavyweight championship. He was there when Sting dethroned the Nature Boy in 1990 at the Great American Bash. He was there at WrestleMania 9 for Yokozuna and Hulk Hogan's respective first and fifth WWF titles. Ross was on the call the night Steve Austin won his WWF championship, and from then on was the voice of the Attitude era.
This phrase is overused, but if you're a wresting fan of a certain age, Jim Ross and his calls were a huge part of our wrestling soundtracks growing. As important as any theme song, Ross' calls gave us passion and context for the stories we've watched throughout his career across WWF, WCW, NJPW and yes, even AEW. His voice and calls are unique, and he is unlike any other.
Those calls up top have something else in common other than simply being matches he called with some legendary wrestlers featured in them. Regardless of what you might think of Dave Meltzer and the Observer awards, in those years and throughout the Attitude era, those were all years Ross won the award for best television announcer. In fact, from 1988-2001 he won the award 10 times, and additionally was named the recipient in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2012. He has won the distinction 14 times. Further cementing his place in wrestling history, he was awarded the Gordon Solie award recognizing his impact on pro wrestling broadcasting by the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2022.
This is all to contextualize the importance of Ross and his impact within the professional wrestling landscape, and why I agree with Dave Meltzer and his decision to rechristen the Observer's best announcer award as the Jim Ross Award beginning with the 2025 Wrestling Observer awards later this year.
This was Meltzer's statement a few days ago:
Over the last few years JR has been through a number health scares, specifically three bouts with cancer that have led to standard treatments and two surgeries to remove cancerous tissue from his hip in February and again recently after a colon cancer diagnosis. Despite admitting he likely needs to slow down, he is still passionate about contributing to the wrestling space, which at his age and with he resume is commendable. That can't be taught or forced, and those qualities are what made him a legendary commentator and articulate why he won "best television announcer" 14-times over.
This is a small thing, I mean it's just an award, right? And while that's true, that small token of appreciation validates a person's life work. All the calls, the effort, research, thought and personal touches someone like JR put into their commentary, are recognized as being valuable and worthwhile. The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame has done a great job in branding their annual awards after the grapplers of yesterday, and while the Observer has made some strides in renaming their honours, more can be done to enshrine the people who entertain us week to week
Life is all so fleeting anyway, and before we realize it these people have retired because they are unable to physically continue, or have simply passed away. They give fans everything, and we owe them tangible respect. They are owed recognition in ways we can concretely remember them. For example, when we talk about something like the Observer award for best technical wrestler, with it being named after Bryan Danielson accomplishes two things: 1) It is an acknowledgment of their work, and 2) In the future a fan can use awards like these and use that as a vehicle to learn about them.
It is important to acknowledge the people who have been such an inherent part of our wrestling education while they are still around to appreciate the fruits of their labour, it is important to give them their flowers when they are due and not after the fact when they are no longer around.
Jim Ross has been so integral to the business through his tireless effort, dedication, and simply through the sheer volume and breadth of his body of work.