10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Jim Ross
2. His 2013 "Retirement"
Though not as ghoulish as his 1994 sacking, Jim Ross' most recent WWE departure (September 2013) was mired with controversy, prompting a hideously transparent cover-up job from the company.
The seeds were sown at a symposium for the upcoming WWE 2K14 game. A number of notable wrestling personalities were gathered to hype the release, and JR was master of ceremonies. Unfortunately, things went off the rails when an intoxicated Ric Flair got on the microphone, started talking, and wouldn't stop. 'The Nature Boy' regaled the audience with some light-hearted backstage stories, then drifted into darker territory, lingering on his son Reid's recent passing, cursing like a sailor as he went.
Ross was unable to control the meandering Flair, and Vince McMahon saw this as reason enough to fire him. WWE knew it wasn't going to be a popular decision, and doctored the release accordingly, stating that JR had actually retired in order to focus on family matters.
As revealed by JR himself, this was a lie. Vince had once again found a way to push an announcer he was never truly fond of out of the company, and Ross didn't return until April 2017, when he assumed his current part-time role.