Jim Ross: “I never heard Triple H refuse to do a job for anybody”

This week on “Grilling JR,” Jim Ross and Conrad Thompson covered the WWE Survivor Series 2000 pay-per-view. The main event featured Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Triple H in a No DQ match, Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker for the WWF Championship, The Rock vs. Rikishi, Kane vs. Chris Jericho, The Radicalz vs. DX and K-Kwik and much more.

Ross also gave his thoughts on some of the big news stories that were happening in wrestling around that time. H

Here are some highlights:

Jim Ross gave his opinion of Chyna being in the 4 on 4 Survivor Series match that featured the Radicalz (Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko & Saturn) vs Billy Gunn, Chyna, K-Kwik and Road Dogg and why the match wasn’t as good as expected:  “Chemistry. It’s all about chemistry. It wasn’t about the individual skill sets of the people in the ring. It also illustrated Triple H’s influence with booking, primarily with Vince to have Chyna in the match. She loved that intergender stuff. She didn’t want to wrestle women. We knew that. To have a woman in this match with talents like Benoit, Malenko, Saturn, and Eddie Guerrero, things had to be addressed with her. You had to take in consideration for Chyna’s presence in the match and Triple H’s influence with Vince is what got her in that match because I don’t feel, and this is going to get fans pissed off and that’s fine, you have a right to be pissed off if you want to be, but I felt she didn’t fit there. That’s why on the booking, she got in the match, she got an entrance, she got a payday, and she left in 2 minutes and 30 seconds. I think the match didn’t have a lot of flow and a lot of chemistry. The chemistry in the match wasn’t there and I’m not so sure how comfortable all the guys in the Radicalz were having a female in the match.”

Ross was asked what he thought of the finish of Triple H vs Steve Austin:  “I think we started deviating with the wrong matches at the wrong time on the stunts. I’m not against stunts because I’m an old school guy, but they have to be used intelligently and well placed. There is just no way you can tell me that two great workers like Triple H and Austin could not have come up with suggestions on their own for a finish. It was a stunt finish and I’m just not a big fan of stunt finishes quite frankly. If they are really good, and I called a lot of them that were entertaining, I get that, but this could have been outside or they could have done a stunt here or there, but the sensational thing of dropping the car and all that stuff, they were trying to replicate the beer thing or Zamboni, or whatever. They kept going back to that well time and time again. I can promise you that knowing Triple H and Steve as I do, they would have been happier, I think, just having a hell of a wrestling match and beating the s**t out of each other and then coming up with a quick one. There are too many stunts. That was an era where stunts became a big deal. Stunt work, stunt preparation, stunt creative, became a bigger part of the presentation and that bothered me at times. It still does. I still think wrestling fans want to see wrestling. Maybe I’m being over simplistic. I don’t believe the stunt show is a viable part of wrestling. It came on the scene. It’s a big deal now. Some guys rely on it. We had the Matt Hardy-Sammy Guevara thing on Full Gear from the Hardy compound. I didn’t dislike it. I thought it might have been a little long, but it was a stunt show. I’m glad we only had one on the card. That’s good for me.”

Ross said he was not aware that Triple H did not do a clean job to anybody on PPV from 1996-2000 when Conrad Thompson brought it to his attention: “I never heard Triple H refuse to do a job for anybody. He certainly would not tolerate that today if he had talents in NXT or wherever that didn’t want to put somebody over. He wouldn’t go along with it. Sometimes those things are overstated. I didn’t realize until we read our notes that Triple H hadn’t put anybody over on PPV since 1996. To my knowledge in the years I worked with him, and I signed him to his biggest contract because I believed in Triple H from early on, I don’t think that was ever a huge issue. It worked out to where it could be made a case. If you didn’t like Triple H or you didn’t like his relationship with Vince and his relationship with Stephanie, now you are getting into a whole different area.  You are overanalyzing the personal side of this. It’s not necessary. For my money, if I could go back in those days, if you exclude Rock and Austin, there is no match I would rather call than Stone Cold and Triple H. I have that much respect for them because I always knew they were going to bring it. They were going to tell a logical story that I could invest in and follow and as a broadcaster, hopefully, embellish and make better. That whole thing became political, well, he’s the boss’ daughter. That’s all s**t. Come on. The guy is a hell of a hand and I thought some of that s**t was unfair. But I get it. I’m not kissing his ass because I want him to hire me. I’m good. I’m just telling you the truth the way I see it and from my heart. He’s a hell of a heel.”

If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Grilling JR with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription