• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

Legendary wrestling announcer Jim Ross eager to meet fans at book signing

Posted: Nov 28th 2017 By: Gene Guillot

When Jim Ross' wife, Jan, died in March from a brain injury suffered from being hit by a vehicle when she was riding her Vespa motorcycle, he thought about not finishing his latest
book endeavor.

Jan was vital in helping Ross plan out the book, as she encouraged him to discuss problems that he hadn't gone into detail about before - namely sleep apnea and his addiction to prescription medication.

Then, he remembered a lesson he learned from his father when he wanted to quit the ninth grade football team: That quitting is the easiest thing you can do.

So he got back to it, and the result is "Slobberknocker: My Life in Wrestling," which was released this fall, and is a must read for any wrestling fan. Ross will be signing his book this Wednesday (Nov. 29) at the Barnes & Nobles at 3721 Veterans Boulevard from 7 p.m. until hopefully, he's signed for everybody in line.

"She always believed that I was a survivor," Ross said of his wife. "She said I want you to be very honest, and maybe some of the things that you've overcome can help others. I wanted to finish for her sake. It helped me with my grieving."

The book is about overcoming obstacles and reaching your goals, as it winds through his career from promoting his first show while in college in 1974 to calling WrestleManias featuring Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Ross, who was inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2007 and is considered by many to be the greatest wrestling announcer of all-time, dedicates 85 pages to his time in Mid-South wrestling, which used the Superdome in New Orleans for its biggest shows.

"There's a lot of great Mid-South stories in there because that's where my career was launched, and New Orleans was our city, the biggest city in the territory," Ross said. "Mid- South is where my career all came together. And you can't tell my story without the Crescent City.

"You knew you were going to make more money in New Orleans than you probably were in any other city in the territory. My first trip there was a big deal, and it's still a big deal. I still get goosebumps (when I'm there). It's a special city, and that's why my signing is going to be fun."

He said meeting fans at the book signings is really helping him cope with the loss of his wife.

"I really need these," said Ross, who hopes some fans bring old Mid-South programs for him to sign. "I love the interaction. The best stories I here are from fans who were there for the big moments. I love hearing those stories. They're just like me, a fan. It's good to get that verbal hug, so to speak. It's good. I'm able to meet people who care about me."

Slobberknocker is an old-school football term used when players didn't wear a facemask, Ross said. When a player got struck real hard in the face, saliva sometimes propelled from his mouth, hence slobber. And since the player got knocked real hard, you had a slobberknocker, which Ross said
he began using in his wrestling commentary in the 1970s.

Ross gave one of his favorite stories from his days in Mid-South wrestling when he was traveling with Andre the Giant in the 1970s.

"The lady at the front desk of the hotel said she would give me $100 for a polaroid of Andre the Giant in full frontal nudity. I asked why. 'I got to know if he's really Andre the Giant,' she said. That was two days of work for me at the time. I told her I couldn't do that. But when I told Andre about the crazy request, he said, 'Why didn't you say yes? We could have split the money.'"