It's hard to think about the classic moments of the Attitude Era without hearing Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler making the call. While WCW Nitro was battling the WWF, one of the key advantages that McMahon had was his announcing crew. Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, a bored Bobby Heenan, and Steve McMichael with a small dog were nowhere near Ross and Lawler's league. Much like Heenan and Monsoon, these two had a chemistry that shined on-air. Ross was the consummate professional who was a master at selling a wrestling angle, and Lawler was always ready to deliver a one-liner, often at his co-hosts' expense. They sat side by side as the company had it's biggest business boom ever, and continued calling matches as the product began growing stale. You could still count on them, though, to give it their all. In an interview with WWE.com in 2012, Ross talked about how much he went through with Lawler. The King was Ross' co-host of Raw when his mother died, and he suffered multiple bouts with Bell's palsy. The two traveled together going from one WWE event to the next, and developed a deep respect for each other. Lawler came to J.R.'s defense from time to time when threatened, and they even tagged with each other on multiple occasions. Because of their longevity, and willingness to put their body on the lives for one another, they slightly rank higher than Heenan and Monsoon on the bromance list. But you could make a compelling case for either.
As Rust Cohle from True Detective said "Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you're good at."
Sadly, I can't solve a murder like Rust...or change a tire, or even tie a tie. But I do know all the lyrics to Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme song and can easily name every Natural Born Thriller from the dying days of WCW. I was once ranked 21st in the United States in Tetris...on the Playstation 3 version...for about a week.
Follow along @AndrewSoucek and check out my podcast at wrestlingwithfriends.com
