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Jim Ross Remembers Taking Big Pay Cut Around 1997 Amidst WWE’s Financial Issues, JJ Dillon Quitting Over Pay Cut

June 11, 2019 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas

– Jim Ross looked back on WWE’s lean period in 1997 before the Attitude Era and his taking a hefty pay cut at the time on the latest Grilling JR podcast. Ross discussed the era when WCW had WWE on the relative ropes, and how financial cutbacks led to some layoffs and pay cuts among the talent. Highlights and the podcast are below:

On taking a pay cut amidst WWE’s layoffs: “The seepage of information on these layoffs was not a major secret internally. Many of us, I took a big cut in pay. I took a, I think it was a $30,000 a year cut in pay right around [1997], maybe right before that. But somewhere in that mid-’90s, I didn’t try to commit that date to memory because it wasn’t something I wanted to recall all the time. But Vince came in and said, ‘We’re having issues, cash-flow wise, and I’m asking the wrestling people to take massive cuts in pay.’ And I said, ‘Okay, what are you offering or what are you suggesting.’ And he told me, and so I think I got cut $30,000 I believe.”

On the pay cuts leading to JJ Dillon quitting: But nevertheless, that’s when you go back, we do our research, we’ll see that was the week that JJ Dillon in a very upset mood — and rightfully so. JJ had a lot of pressure on him, being the dad of a special needs child, and three young children. So JJ wouldn’t want to work for him getting that big cut in pay. So he quit abruptly. And our man Bruce [Prichard] got to be the head of talent relations for a good while, and I was senior VP for another wrestling administration. I think Vince gave me that title because he thought it would keep me happy. I would have been happy to be Bruce’s assistant, I didn’t care. I was more concerned about the payday. I’m one of the ‘two C’ guys; I knew the creative was gonna be, and I liked the cash. So that’s where we were. But it wasn’t a big issue. It was a bad issue for those guys and their families, but it was no secret that the company was hurting. And we had to make changes, so that’s why it was important to get new stories established and new talents established, including Stone Cold.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Grilling JR with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.

article topics :

Jim Ross, WWE, Jeremy Thomas