Of course, the bad news didn't stop there for JR. In 2005 WWE and Vince McMahon really looked to be sending the message that he was old news and very much on the way out. Despite the fact that fans and wrestlers loved both Ross and his iconic voice, Vince, right-hand man Kevin Dunn and the like felt he was too fat, too old, too southern and took himself way too seriously. They wanted change. That change was Jonathan Coachman, a man who (while he would find his niche sometime later) just didn't cut it as a play-by-play man. Yes, WWE wanted to replace arguably the best commentator of all-time with The Coach. Sometimes, the mind boggles. Oh, WWE were also negotiating with UFC commentator Mike Goldberg, reportedly offering him between $350,000 and $500,000 to come on board. After seeing what WWE does to their employees and expressing a desire to stay in the real sports world, Goldberg rejected the offer. Which must have pissed Vince McMahon off and had something to do with the way he went after JR. First, Ross was fired in the ring in a risible segment which ended with Linda McMahon kicking him square in the balls, and then came the infamous 'Dr. Hiney'... If you're not away of Dr. Hiney or have somehow been lucky enough to wipe it from your memory (sorry for reminding you, in that case), allow me to aware you: Dr Hiney was a pre-taped skit/segment where Vince McMahon played a doctor, removing objects from 'JR's' backside. Ross had just underwent a colonoscopy and was in very serious pain, naturally. Vince looked like a kid in a candy store as he, ably assisted by 'Nurse Slobberknockers', pulled items ranging from a Stone Cold Steve Austin Doll to a bottle of BBQ sauce to JR's own head out of the dummy's arse. The payoff for this interminable laugh drought? Nothing. JR didn't get to come back and get even with Vince, although he did get some measure of revenge when WWE came crawling back to him after Joey Styles didn't work out behind the announce desk. The whole thing was shot entirely for Vince McMahon's amusement. I'm sure that today, in an era where his superstars promote anti-bullying campaigns and Ross is a well-respected Hall of Famer, that he probably regrets his decision to film it.
