Jim Ross Talks Wrestlers Today Being "Brainwashed" Into Feeling They Need To Have Long Matches
On the latest episode of the Grilling JR Podcast, Jim Ross covered the No Mercy 2000 pay-per-view which saw Kurt Angle win the WWF Championship for the first time. Angle defeated The Rock in the main event to become the first ever Superstar to win an Olympic Gold Medal and the WWF Championship. The match between Angle and The Rock closed the show in just over 20 minutes.
Ross talked about how match times have become an issue in today's wrestling culture. He believes some of today's wrestlers have been trained to believe that the more time you have in a match, the more story you can tell. He also continued to say that's not always the case and if you believe in your work, you can tell that story in however much time you're provided.
"I believe that even in AEW we have some match times that at times, appear to be too long," Ross said. "Guys are brainwashed [into believing] 'I got to have 15 minutes, I got to have 18.' Why? Are you not a good enough worker to tell your story in the time that you're assigned? Apparently not.
"I think that's a big fallacy in the business today is that you got to have 'x' number of minutes to tell your story. Where's that written down at? I don't agree with that philosophy."
On November 7, AEW will have their Full Gear pay-per-view. JR talked about Full Gear and his excitement surrounding the event. Ross said he looks forward to next month and likes the way they've built towards the event.
"November is going to be such a big month for us in AEW," Ross mentioned. "Full Gear coming up, first Saturday of November. Looks like the card is coming together well. I like how we are determining challengers and #1 contenders. Our roster keeps getting better and better. It's just a fun thing to be a part of."
During this past Wednesday's AEW Dynamite, it was announced that Matt Hardy will face Sammy Guevara and FTR will defend the AEW Tag Team Championships against the Young Bucks. The show will also feature Darby Allin challenging Cody or Orange Cassidy for the TNT Championship, the finals of the AEW Championship eliminator tournament and Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston in an "I Quit Match" for the AEW Championship.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Grilling JR with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.