10 Major AEW Stars Who Publicly Savaged The Company
5. Jim Ross (Again)
Ross, again, will sometimes express quiet disdain for certain stylistic aspects of the AEW product.
He's particularly withering when a powerful, stocky wrestler executes an aerial move. Watch closely whenever Hangman Page performs his glorious Orihara moonsault; you will hear a dejected sigh almost, as Ross questions why Page doesn't simply throw strikes from a standing position. Tony Schiavone hurriedly says something to the effect of "Well, it's the modern game, Jim" as Ross reluctantly agrees or at least catches himself before he lunges in two-footed. It can be read as either a well-intentioned personality quirk or a tiresome, counterproductive mood-killer.
He said this quiet part loud in December 2020; speaking to Conrad Thompson on Grilling JR, he bemoaned a popular spot which, in his defence, is far more egregious than Page bringing down the house with an impactful dive.
"All you guys go outside, you cluster up like quail, you stand there in a huddle, friends and foes together, side-by-side, so you can catch some leaping idiot going over the top who never wins with this move. It's a spot, folks. It's a trapeze act. I don't buy into that."
Brandon Cutler opted for the self-depreciation route when building his upcoming seven-on-seven match by paraphrasing these criticisms. In response to that, FTR's Dax Harwood let Cutler have it. Ironically, Cutler was the "leaping idiot" to fall when a medical emergency saw the opposing side reduced to six.
Still a priceless comedy goon, mind.