Jim Ross Reflects on Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara's Surprising WWE Exit for WCW

In a recent episode of his Grilling Jr podcast, AEW announcer and Senior Advisor Jim Ross, affectionately known as "Good Ole’ J.R.," shared insights on hearing for the first time about Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara's decision to leave WWE for WCW. Ross offered a candid perspective on the situation, describing it as a surprising moment but one that ultimately benefited WWE in unforeseen ways.

Ross said, “I think Vince [McMahon] said they were taking off, gonna move to Atlanta and do their business there. I can understand Russo’s logic. I mean, they were working a lot. They should have added more staff; he should have added more staff, I think in hindsight, to his group. It would maybe ease the burden of his workload. But those guys did work — they had a lot of balls in the air. So I think Vince told me. But you know, we didn’t miss a beat. We just kept on rolling, and it worked out fine at the end of the day. I mean, look where WWE is today, and they’re doing very well, obviously. So at the end of the day, things generally work out if everybody’s on the same page.”

Reflecting on the transition, Ross recalled that while Russo and Ferrara's exit was unexpected, the WWE team quickly adapted. “I would have thought that they would have come to some sort of happy compromise prior to the final decision being made that both Russo and Ferrara left. But you know, we had a lot of people on staff who could do their job. They might not do it as well; I don’t know, it’s all subjective. But it was an interesting time, to say the least. But I thought that the company reacted positively,” he continued, adding that WWE had a strong team ready to step up, including Pat Patterson, Bruce Prichard, and himself in a supporting role.

Ross highlighted Vince McMahon’s reaction to the news, describing it as less than favorable. “I think he was surprised and not in a pleasant way… They did a nice job. They got — you know, the results speak for themselves. But they just were burned out… A lot of the talents were concerned, because they had built relationships with Russo and Ferrara. They had a resource for creative. So it was surprising, you know. Surprising that they left.” McMahon’s initial disappointment eventually transformed into resilience, with WWE making quick adjustments to ensure production continued without a hitch.

Ross also reflected on the talents that began to emerge during that period, like The Hardy Boyz, Edge, and Christian, who brought memorable performances. “The tag match of the Hardys and Edge and Christian was extraordinary. So that bailed our ass out of that show. So it was good.”