10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week
8. Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler Never Knew Match Finishes
Jim Ross and Jerry 'The King' Lawler were one of the greatest wrestling announce duos of all time. The natural chemistry both men had as friends away from the ring helped, but they were very much switched-on during broadcasts individually. Regardless who was on-screen, or even if a match was particularly dull, Ross and Lawler were a riot together.
It's therefore interesting to learn that the tandem used to specifically ask not to know how wrestlers were going to finish matches. The commentators wanted to be surprised, and act organically to what they were seeing happen in front of them. There was method to that madness, because it helped shows have a more emotional feel.
For example, remember when Jim Ross screamed like a man possessed after Steve Austin overcame the odds to retain the WWF Title at Over The Edge 1998? Ross knew that Austin was booked to win, but he didn't know all of the carnage that was going to take place involving Vince McMahon, The Undertaker and others. That's a mind-bending thought, especially in the ultra-meticulous world of WWE.