Jim Ross Critiques Commentary In WWE, AEW, And TNA

Jim Ross is set to make his return to pro wrestling commentary at AEW All In: Texas, and he appears set to lead by example.
The "Voice of Wrestling" has been on the mend from colon cancer surgery, and recently revealed he is cancer-free. He plans to return to commentary at AEW's upcoming pay-per-view, and even said he'd love to call the Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega match on the card. But that doesn't mean the WWE Hall of Famer isn't paying attention to what's going on in the rest of the wrestling world.
In fact, he's paying close attention to commentary in other promotions. While speaking on his podcast Grilling JR, Ross offered constructive criticism of what he feels other wrestling commentators can do better to service the matches.
“I think they should let the pictures speak more volumes than not. Laying out is an art form. It’s not a matter of if you lay out, it’s a matter of when you lay out and let the action on the television screen speak for itself," he said.
Ross, a veteran broadcaster who has also called NFL games during a stint with the Atlanta Falcons, believes speaking too much overshadows the action.
"I think they could do a better job and a better service to their brand and the product if they laid out just a little bit more and let things evolve and then react to that, as opposed to just filling time, and as you said, getting themselves over," Ross said. "That don’t work for me.”
The 73-year-old has been with AEW since its inception, but moved into a part-time on-air role in recent years.
H/T Fightful for partial transcript assistance.
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Jon Alba is an Emmy Award and SPJ Award-winning journalist who has broken some of pro wrestling's biggest stories. In addition to writing for The Takedown on SI, he is the host of "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" podcast, and a host and contributor for Sportsnet New York. Additionally, he has been on beats for teams across MLB, the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLS during more than a decade in the sports media sphere. Jon is a graduate of Quinnipiac University with a B.A. degree in Journalism.
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