12 Things We Learned From Jim Ross: Under The Black Hat

3. The Highs And Lows (And Highs) Of WrestleMania XXVI

Jim Ross Under the Black Hat
WWE.com

By 2010, after years of ups and downs, Jim Ross was as open as he'd ever been to the possibility of leaving WWE. But just as quickly as one can be down on the company, one could just as suddenly see a carrot of light dangling at the end of the tunnel.

For J.R., that carrot was the prospect of making his announcing return to call a match at WrestleMania XXVI. And not just any match, but The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels in a contest that would prove to be the swansong of The Heartbreak Kid.

Kevin Dunn made the call to Jim, informing him to "bring your tux" to the Showcase of the Immortals. 'Taker and Shawn had gone to bat for J.R. and asked that he commentate on their upcoming epic encounter.

The sheer joy that Ross conveys at this moment in Under the Black Hat is undeniable, with this phone call coming at a particularly difficult time for the Oklahoma native - Ross having recently had another Bell's palsy attack, and had to deal with the deaths of friends Steve 'Dr. Death' Williams, Jack Brisco, and Skandor Akbar.

To Jim Ross, this was the perfect pick-me-up and something that once more put some pep in his step. And so, WrestleMania weekend rolled around, a beaming J.R. got to once more be amongst the boys, and calling one of the all-time great matches was looming large on the horizon.

Only Jim never got to call that match.

The day before WrestleMania XXVI, Kevin Dunn informed Jim that they wouldn't be using him for the show. J.R. was angry. The Undertaker was angry. Shawn Michaels was angry.

In a book full of gut-punches, this is one of the most emotional moments to read about. But the positive to come out of this, is that 'Taker and Michaels opted out of the annual WrestleMania afterparty, and instead invited Jim Ross to join them in a fire-lit parking lot to drink some beers and tell some stories into the early hours. And that is as good a WrestleMania moment as you can get.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.