Jim Ross Picks His Two Favorites in Royal Rumble Match

WWE Hall of Famer and now Fox Sports columnist Jim Ross, recently spoke with Rob McNichol of mirror.co.uk. During the interview, Ross and McNichol spoke about a number of topics such as the upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view, JR and WWE parting ways, and more.

Ross told McNichol the following regarding his departure from WWE:

“I have no bitterness about my business relationship with WWE ending. If we had not parted ways, most of the opportunities that I am excited about would be very challenging to do, simply because of the schedule and contractual commitments.

“From the say I walked out of the WWE offices I was fine. I was ready to be able to move on.

“Anytime you leave a long-term relationship, the timing is never great, but I look back at it and it was perfect timing to get everything set up to be able to progressively start 2014.

“I watch as much of the product as my schedule will allow. I think people still think I have an unlimited amount of insider knowledge.

“I don’t want to know. I don’t read the spoilers on the Internet.  I like to watch it as a fan and see it unfold. That’s like watching a sporting event and already knowing the outcome.

“I give comments and feedback based on what I have seen on TV. As a fan.”

“Good Ol’ JR” also talked about the 30-man Royal Rumble match and his two favorites to win the match and earn a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania XXX:

“Looking down the list of other guys, you have Cena and Orton already in a match, Lesnar and Big Show in a match. They are four very viable candidates, but I don’t know if any of those four are going to be in the Rumble.

“If you take away all of those possibilities, to me it comes down to Daniel Bryan or Batista.

“Who is going to mean the most as a challenger, against the champion, in New Orleans? An argument can certainly be made that that person is Daniel Bryan.

“He seems to be, based on watching Raw, the hottest guy on TV. He has connected with the audience very organically. He is a magnificent in-ring performer. He is the prototypical underdog. He’s a consummate pro. And the people have embraced him.

“I would think that one scenario is that Daniel Bryan wins the Royal Rumble.”

“However, part of Daniel Bryan’s charm and popularity is that he never quits. He is always working to achieve the impossible and earn respect. There is something to be said for Daniel Bryan being on the chase. I’m not one that thinks that Daniel Bryan has to definitively have the world title today to continue his growth.

“You can make an argument for Batista. How do you bring back after four years – he’s a massive star, he’s done well outside of wrestling – how do you bring him back and not monetise your investment by having him win?”

The former WWE commentator also talked about the unpredictability of the event:

“Sometimes creative can seemingly be taking you down one road, then change directions very quickly. That’s part of the allure or wrestling. ‘I didn’t see that coming.’

“The Royal Rumble outcome, looking forward to Wrestlemania, is still in a fog. I don’t have a problem with that. That’s the basic function of episodic television – ‘stay tuned’.

“It’s not predictable right now.  A case could be made for everybody. A case could be made for Roman Reigns. If you really wanted to definitively move him to the next level, he wins the Royal Rumble and wins the title. Then you have done everything you can do, creatively, to put a young talent in a position of being considered extraordinarily special at a very young age.

“Let the debate continue. As long as people are talking about it, then it is good for storylines and good for the brand.”

To read the full interview between the two, click here.