Jerry Lawler weighs in on Jim Ross' upcoming WWE departure.
On a recent episode of The Ross Report, Jim Ross confirmed that his WWE contract expires on March 29 and that he will not renew his deal. You can read Ross' full comments on leaving WWE here. Aside from one-off appearances and the 2017 Mae Young Classic, Ross hasn't had a featured role on WWE television since 2013.
Jerry Lawler, Ross' broadcast partner throughout the 90s in WWE, gave his thoughts on JR leaving the company at the end of the month.
"I would say I?m sad, but I spoke with JR before the announcement. He told me what all went on behind the scenes and who he spoke with on the telephone. He actually told me about the conversation that he had with Vince," said Lawler on a recent episode of his Dinner With The King podcast. "The cool thing -- the reason it?s not sad -- is because as far as JR is concerned, he?s going to be going onto bigger and better things. When I say bigger and better, I mean, probably more money than he?s ever made before in his life. So, that is a good thing for JR. He didn't elaborate. He didn't mention his future plans."
Lawler continued, "When JR spoke with Vince, he told Vince, 'I want to do more. I still feel like I can be productive,' which he certainly can. If you look at JR's situation, he's there by himself now that Jan is gone. He doesn't want to sit around the house and have nothing to do for long periods of time."
Ross said on his podcast that he suspects he won't be out of work very long following his contract coming to an end. He has been long-tied to All Elite Wrestling, though nothing official between the two sides can be announced until his WWE contract expires.
You can listen to Lawler's full comments in the video above.