Jim Ross on Vince McMahon Possibly Selling WWE

On the latest edition of Grilling JR, Jim Ross spoke about his relationship with Vince McMahon.

“I’ve talked to him on my birthday – January 3rd for folks that are keeping score. But that’s about it. It’s not like we talked all the time anyways. When I was in the office, we talked every day, multiple times virtually every night like Bruce [Pritchard] is right now. It just is what it is, I’m not knocking Bruce or anybody else. We just don’t have the occasion to talk – what are we gonna talk about? You think he gives a shit how I’m doing? You think I give a shit how his workout went this morning in the gym? No. I care about his health, welfare, sanity, but other than that, I’d be lying if I go past that. So no, we don’t talk at all. Like I said, occasionally I’ll get something from him at the holidays, and then since my birthday is so close to Christmas, I always get a shoutout and I appreciate it. I do the same thing to him. August 24, I will send him a text, ‘Happy birthday, you old bastard.’ I’ll kid him about his workouts, and he’ll send me a damn videotape of him bench pressing eight thousand pounds or something. I admire him for it, man. At his age, to even go to the gym and much less workout heavy, it’s pretty damn impressive. He know if he needed something I could facilitate, I would do it. I owe him that. Vince has done a lot for me. So if there was something to facilitate to help him, I would. I don’t know what that would be now because he doesn’t need me. And luckily, because I’ve got Tony Khan, I don’t need Vince. It’s just not very regular we get to chat.”

Ross also spoke about the potential of Vince McMahon selling WWE.

“I think Vince is gonna physically do this until he physically can’t anymore. That’s the answer to that. But Vince is a great businessman. If the right offer came along that would make sure some of his key players were still taken care of like Hunter and Stephanie, I don’t have doubt in my mind he would sell. It would be a billion-dollar-plus deal, and that would set up his grandchildren and his grandchildren’s grandchildren. He’s a smart businessman. But I don’t think that in his lifetime he would be interested in selling, but I think he would be interested in putting the structure in place to sell. I’m trying not to be too evasive. I think he wants to hope he lives forever, but I think he’s gonna keep what he’s got for as long as he can, depending on his health and all that stuff. I don’t think he wants to leave his family high and dry as far as the job is concerned and their legacy. So I think the company is sellable without question, but the issue is the right time. It would be one of the bigger buyouts in entertainment history. He’s too smart…..McMahon is a guy that doesn’t walk away from too many smart business deals. If the deal was smart enough and lucrative enough, he would give strong consideration to selling the product. But I don’t think that’s gonna happen any time soon. I believe as long as he’s alive, he’s not gonna be overwhelmingly interested unless it’s a deal he can’t refuse.”