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Jim Ross' autobiography doubles as love letter to late wife Jan

Posted: Oct 4th 2017 By: Alex Marvez

Jim Ross intended to write his autobiography.

He ended up crafting a love letter, as well.

This was never his mission. Ross began working on"Slobberknocker" several years ago to chronicle his unlikely journey from self-described "chubby kid with a Southern accent" raised on an Oklahoma farm to pro wrestling's most celebrated announcer.

And then tragedy struck — twice.

Scott Williams, the pro wrestling historian with whom Ross was collaborating, died of a heart attack in August 2016 at the age of 49. This led to Ross finding a replacement author(Irish novelist/movie producer Paul O’Brien) whom he said"basically rewrote the book and had a hand in it from
beginning to end."

Just as the finishing touches were being made, Ross suffered another loss that continues to shake him. His wife Jan died in March of head injuries suffered when a 17-year-old driver plowed into her motor scooter while she was returning from the gym near their Norman, Okla., home. She was 55.

"I go through a lexicon of moods," Ross told Sporting News in a recent telephone interview. "I'm still battling that."

Ross’ voice then cracked as he apologized for the tears streaming down his face.

"I understand that part of the process of promoting this book is doing interviews and speaking to folks about this,"he said. “I’ve got to deal with it. I realize this. There’s no manual for grieving, no road map I can just punch into avehicle to take me where I want to go.

"I don’t know how I’m going to handle that. I’m not over her. I never will be."

Without Jan Ross, there may be no "Slobberknocker." That’s because Jim Ross might not have been around to write it.

By the time the two met in 1990 — with noted lothario “Nature Boy” Ric Flair present aboard that airplane flight,no less — Ross had risen through the ranks from being a jack-of-all-trades gofer for regional wrestling companies to fulfilling his childhood dream of sitting behind the mic.

With his unique homespun delivery, Ross added “legitimacy”to the matches by making them sound like bonafide athletic competitions while interjecting humor when appropriate all done. This led to Ross becoming the lead announcer for World Championship Wrestling and ultimately the WWE, where his
calls on matches like the 1998 "Hell in a Cell" between The Undertaker and Mick "Mankind" Foley helped enhance the bouts’ legendary status.Ross, though, went through his own living hell in the 1990s. An admitted workaholic, Ross remained so immersed in the wrestling business that it cost
him two marriages and led to an unhealthy lifestyle away from the announcing table.

"My job and my life in wrestling became so important to me that it almost became an illness," Ross said.

Ross was then afflicted by a physical ailment — Bell’s Palsy— that easily could have ended his broadcasting career on multiple occasions. To this day, Ross can’t smile, and he
sometimes slurs his words at night because his facial muscles become weakened.

The effects of the palsy combined with the death of hismother and Ross’ on-again/off-again WWE employment at the whims of company CEO Vince McMahon added to the stresslevel. McMahon fired Ross in early 1994 shortly after the latter was stricken with his first bout of Bell’s Palsy and just weeks following his marriage to a petite redhead who had her own successful career as a US Airways flight
attendant.

"She’s gotta be thinking, 'What did I sign up for?'" Ross said. "I wouldn't have blamed her if she left.

"She didn’t do that. It was, 'It's another day. We're going to be fine.'"

WWE performers soon became aware of Jan’s nurturing nature. She interacted with them as people rather than wrestlers as Jim began handling the dual responsibilities of overseeing talent relations in the mid-1990s.

"When I would have insecure, unhappy talent in for meetings about contracts or creative (i.e. storylines), a lot of guys would come over to our house," said Ross, who was living in Stamford, Conn., near WWE headquarters. “When that happened, they always got a home-cooked meal. And because Stamford was a midweek stopover before going back on tour, my wife would even volunteer to do their laundry. Here she was washing wrestling tights and underwear and socks of some guys she
didn't even know. But that was her.

"She became a very unique resource … She didn't know who the best workers were or anything like that. That was not her area of expertise. What she loved was the interaction and giving words of encouragement that help somebody out."

As the pro wrestling industry evolved, Ross did the same by showcasing his talent on multiple platforms. After leaving WWE in 2013, Ross filled his time by starting a one-man show chock with wrestling tales, launching the Ross Report podcast and working on "Slobberknocker," which is a
trademark phrase he coined to describe a hard-hitting brawl. Ross even ventured outside his comfort zone by calling boxing and mixed martial arts matches.

In early 2016, Ross reached an announcing deal with AXS TV to deliver the English-language announcing for the network’s weekly New Japan Pro Wrestling telecasts through the end of this year (he’s hoping to re-sign). Ross also has inked what is essentially a "special projects" WWE contract focused primarily on events that fall outside the scope of the company’s weekly Raw and Smackdown telecasts like the recent Mae Young Classic tournament on WWE Network.

"I think before I worked out of fear," Ross said. "Just now at (age) 65, I’m able to approach my work with absolutely zero apprehension of this potentially being my last show. People say, 'Whose fault is that?' It's nobody’s but my own. It's how I’m wired and how my old man raised me.

"My dad wanted to raise a man. I think he succeeded, but itsure as hell wasn't easy."

Nor is it when Ross looks around his home and sees all of the memorabilia his wife amassed and the stories behind them.

Nor when he had to relive all the memories while completing an audio version of "Slobberknocker."

Nor when Ross awakes at 3:30 a.m. from a "dream she was here," like on the morning of our interview.

Those are the main reasons Ross plans to continue working and a sequel to "Slobberknocker" is likely coming.

"I stay frantically busy because I’m scared to death to be alone," he said.