Jim Ross (2) (1952–)

I grew up with my head in the clouds of professional wrestling. For the last 25 years I’ve been saturated by it in the best possible way, using it not only a source of excitement and entertainment, but as a crutch too, a walking stick to life in general. While some folks watch and soak up the atmosphere and history of sports like football or athletics, I chose wrestling, or perhaps wrestling chose me.

For a large portion of my time as a fan, there has been a soundtrack. A classical score of show more cheering fans, entrance music, the sound of body hitting canvas, all topped off by a ringside announcers call, a voice giving story and verbal energy to what was happening in the ring. Jim Ross is the greatest announcer in the vast and wonderful history of pro wrestling, for me, and this, his first autobiography, is a look at his life and career, or a good part of it.

I am a fan of wrestling memoirs. Mick Foley, Bret Hart and Chris Jericho top the list for me as far as their stories and ways of pulling you into this magnificent and unusual world. I had high expectations for JRs Book, and let me down it did not. The career of Jim Ross has been wallpapered with triumph and disaster, hardship and success, and he shares it with readers without any reluctance here. It’s a rich story and a personal one, and I ate it up. I would place this easily up there with those of Jericho, Hart and Foley now, for sure. I didn’t want it to end.

If you’re a fan of wrestling or merely a curious bystander, I urge you to pick this book up and give it a read. It’s insightful, funny, heartbreaking, beautiful, crazy and poignant, and you cannot help but hearing that trademark voice of Jim Ross telling these tales throughout. Slobberknocker just stomped a mud hole in the genre of wrestling memoirs, and walked it dry.

Brilliant. show less

A riveting tale of life behind the barrel of the pro-wrestling gun. Jim Ross has been somebody I've admired for as long as I've loved wrestling (which is going on 30 years at this point. Oh boy). This curious and entertaining read looks further into Ross's career and the individuals he's been involved with in some form or another. Written wonderfully and with ballistic missiles of insight, it's one of the very best books from a professional wrestling person you're likely to find. I, for one, show more can't wait for the next chapter of JR's story. Boomer Sooner! show less

Wow! I always like a good autobiography, and when audio books are read by the author it's always better.

The story toward the beginning about how Jim's dad taught him a lesson regarding the unlicensed breeding his champion bird dog was incredibly disturbing and disheartening. Otherwise mostly a light tale. I was surprised about his story of UWF being quite different than that we saw on dark side of the ring, as well as the surprise that he felt Bischoff's job in WCW should have been his own.

I show more was somewhat disappointed that a book that came out so recently still began and ended with WrestleMania 18, but I suppose any such stores have to set an ending before they start or they will never be finished. Surprised we didn't get any stores about how much his dad thought wrestling was a scam, but you can only fit so much. show less

I can't say that I learned a lot from reading this book, particularly when it comes to the wrestlers and management from the WWE. To be honest, I was more taken with the love story inside between Jim Ross and his wife, Jan. Ross had a lot of struggles working for the WWE. His relationship with Vince McMahon was a bit rocky. He suffered from bell's palsy which caused him great pain and adversely impacted his career. It appears that McMahon took great advantage of Ross – – bullying and show more humiliating him in various TV skits.

I would never want to work in any capacity for WWE. The culture is a bit extreme though many of their performers are very well paid. Ross did not take the opportunity to rip the wrestlers that he managed and worked with.

I have been a wrestling fan almost all my life. The two greatest wrestling announcers in my lifetime are Ross and Gordon Solie.

Ross wrote about the death of his wife from an accident. How painful that must have been!

Mid tier on my list of wrestling books... show less