Jim Ross says 2017 has been a "devastating" year for the loss of his loved ones, and that the latest tragedy, Lance Russell, was the best "host" in wrestling.
On Tuesday, the wrestling community lost commentator Lance Russell at the age of ninety-one. Russell became a stand-out commentator and interviewer during his time in Memphis wrestling but he also worked at WCW and Smoky Mountain Wrestling. Jim Ross wrote on his blog about how Lance Russell's passing added to the losses that have already happened to wrestling in 2017. Bobby Heenan, another all-time great broadcaster, also passed nearly a month ago. Ross said he was friends with both men.
"2017 has been a devastating year for loved ones passing away as it relates to yours truly. I assume that it's merely a function of growing older but it certainly doesn't make these losses any easier to accept. The sudden passings of Bobby Heenan and now Lance Russell have been crushing blows for me to deal with as both men and their respective spouses were also friends of Jan and me outside the business," wrote Ross. He also lost his wife Jan in March after a traffic accident.
Even though Heenan and Russell both worked as commentators, Ross said Russell was the best at his particular style. Russell was a straight-forward broadcaster and Heenan was a color commentator, a manager, and a wrestler.
"Lance Russell was unequivocally the best TV Wrestling 'host,' for the lack of a better term, ever in the wrestling business and, arguably, will always be considered as such. Lance is the only person in the wrestling biz that I can honestly say that I've never heard a single person 'knock' or say negative things about. The only other person that one might be able to say the same thing about is the late Owen Hart. Lance had great credibility as a broadcaster and his audience trusted and believed in him. These are invaluable traits for any broadcaster and especially in the sports entertainment biz," wrote Ross.
In the rest of the blog, Ross discussed WWE hosting a War Games, his future appearances, and his upcoming podcast guests.
Ross' blogs can be found at JRsBarBQ.com.
