On a recent edition of Busted Open Radio, Jim Ross addressed a number of topics that were tied to AEW including which one was about the pre-show that took place for the company’s previous event Fyter Fest and being part of a three-person commentating team. For this particular event, Ross wasn’t commentating but actually a spectator for the event. Without being tied to the action he was able to survey the match, the crowd and its effectiveness overall.
Honestly, I wasn’t crazy about it, I do not think it sold enough of what we were doing on the main show… I didn’t think it was what we needed to be doing. Now, I like comedies, when I’m drinking those are my go-to. I think we have to be selling a good sampling of what we do in the main show. If you have a pregame show for a pay-per-view, those matches shouldn’t just be filler, they should be something.
Ross’ views come on the heels of current MLW commentator and former manager Jim Cornette’s criticism of some of the characters that were part of the event as well. Jim Ross also shared how he knows that the current AEW commentating team needs to continue to improve but is understanding of why the team may have had the issues that it did. He also gives his colleagues all the credit in the world with how good he knows they are but knows their needs to be a sense of continuity amongst the commentators.
We have to continue to work hard to get better, we are not nearly as good as we need to be. But, that’s not a surprise, we are brand new. We did a show in Vegas with no net. We are new, we are green in that regard.
Excalibur is an excellent talent, I like his voice, he has great knowledge and he has passion in his heart. Alex Marvez, I would love to see him in an insider role. I work with two guys that are a lot smarter than me. We got to have reps and we have got to get better. We have got to clarify what the roles are in that three-man unit. I have every confidence in the world that when we go on television in October, we will be prepared to do a good job for the fans.
Madison’s Mindset: Ross has been part of the industry for nearly 40 years. Throughout Jim Ross’ time with WCW, WWE and now AEW he brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience that will only help to improve the promotion as a whole including what he wasn’t particularly keen on in Fyter Fest.
With his ongoing discussions with Alex Marvez and Excalibur, they will improve but they need opportunities to do so and on a regular basis. As for the preshow, Ross has been around long enough to know what has a track record of being effective and what doesn’t.
(credit: WrestlingInc.com with the transcription of the quotes used above)
