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Jim Ross, Legendary Wrestling Announcer, to Retire from the WWE

Posted: Sep 11th 2013 By: mikeiles

Bah Gawd! Good Ol' J.R. is officially hanging up his 10-gallon hat and retiring from the WWE, according to a post on WWE.com.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross announced that he is retiring from WWE today, after 20 years of service, to focus on his personal business endeavors.

Jim has had a long and storied career at WWE, both on the corporate staff as well as his television persona, calling some of the most memorable matches in WWE history as the voice of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown for more than two decades. He made his debut with the WWE at WrestleMania IX in 1993 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007 by his long-time friend "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

For fans of the Attitude Era and up until Michael Cole took over the reigns as WWE's lead play-by-play announcer, Jim Ross was the voice of the WWE. Heck, Ross was the voice of a generation of wrestling fans.

Going back to his time in WCW before joining WWF, Ross carried the announce table duties with honor, seriousness and conviction. He was a trusted voice for the viewer and, though The Undertaker may disagree, the true conscience of the WWE.

J.R. let you know exactly how to respond to any given situation. He projected great excitement, sadness, seriousness and joy. It was his voice that played as a constant backdrop to every Stone Cold ass-kicking, Vince McMahon firing and Rock ranting.

He knew his role as a support character for every star and every storyline. He was the constant unsung hero of a WWE broadcast, elevating the talent by helping tell their stories.

J.R.'s contribution to the WWE doesn't rest solely at the announce table, though. He was a prolific talent scout and long served as the head of talent relations. He's dedicated his life to the business, and it appears he is now ready to step aside for good and focus on his personal life.

He'll likely continue to blog and comment on the product, and nobody would be surprised by the occasional appearance. His day-to-day involvement with the company, though, has come to a close today.