Jim Ross says The Undertaker and Roman Reigns are both locker room leaders... and the comparisons don't end there.
Sunday, Ross made his return to the WWE commentary table. He was brought back to commentate the main event of Wrestlemania 33 and reportedly will be in WWE for two more years. The match was Roman Reigns versus The Undertaker, and it was supposed to prove who owns the "yard" of WWE. It seems The Undertaker will be leaving WWE since he left his gloves, hat, and coat in the ring. Ross told Sports Illustrated about what The Undertaker meant to him professionally and personally,
“The Undertaker has been a big part of my professional life since we got him from World Class Championship Wrestling to WCW in 1989. Then, of course, when I was here in WWE as head of the talent relations department, The Undertaker was the captain of the team. He was even bigger in the locker room than he was in the ring, which may be hard for some people to fathom. He was the conscience of the WWE, and Mark Calaway is everything a professional wrestler should aspire to be.He took ownership of his TV persona, in-ring persona, and he knew he had to use his size and athleticism to make himself even more special. He’s left pieces of his body all over the world, and I have so much respect for him. I was feeling strong nerves and prominent apprehension because I knew the ramifications of what the match could develop into, and it was very emotional in that regard.” said Ross.
Ross also spoke about the victorious Reigns, he used one characteristic to describe Reigns that he also used to describe The Undertaker.
“Nobody gave me any announcer notes, so what you heard me say about Reigns was real. He’s a big, athletic, young guy with so much potential. I like him and I don’t particularly care if fans think he’s a villain or a fan favorite. I believe he’s a star, simple as that. I’m not caught up in his creative,I don’t care if he’s a babyface or a heel. I just like to see big athletic guys that are tough and demonstrate that in the wrestling ring, and I thought he did that well. He took a lot of punishment, he sold well, and he kept fighting. He and I had a very good talk before the show tonight, and I was very impressed with his maturity. This kid could be the future of WWE and he certainly will be a locker room leader," said Ross.
Ross called the match after the recent passing of his wife Jan, in the interview he talked about the emotions of doing that.
The interview can be found Sports Illustrated's website.
