Jim Ross On Terry Taylor Having Red Rooster Gimmick In WWE, Taylor’s Legacy In Wrestling

In a recent edition of Grilling JR, Jim Ross discussed Terry Taylor having the Red Rooster gimmick in WWE, whether anyone could’ve gotten that type of character over, and much more. You can read his comments below.

Jim Ross on Terry Taylor having the Red Rooster gimmick in WWE: “He wasn’t crazy about the creative, but he was getting booked regularly and getting quality TV time. So he was rebuilding his legacy, but he wasn’t crazy about it. Here’s the thing, sometimes promoters give talents a gimmick or person, and upon further review, these personas are never going to draw. They’re a complementary piece to an ensemble cast and rarely in a main event. That was kind of like Dusty [Rhodes] in the polka dots. It’s hard to take that seriously, unfortunately. The same thing here with the Red Rooster. Terry got exposure and got to work with some good guys, but the creative was bound to fail. Maybe the kids might like it, I’m not sure. I remember saying something to him one time, we were doing an interview and he was the heel. I fired up on his ass and said, ‘What are you gonna do, peck me to death?’ You can’t get away from it. It followed him around. I didn’t help that cause in that particular instance, but I thought it was a pretty good line at the time. Here’s the deal, he got a job working for the biggest league in the game and getting a lot of TV time. So there’s some good in that whole insanity, but not enough good to overcome the perception of being the Red Rooster……it was hideous. For a guy that was a really good worker who paid his dues and had a great mentor and great pedigree. You get your break to go the big league, and this is what you get.”


On whether anybody could’ve gotten that type of character over: “Get it over meaning what? Get it over to being a main event guy? That’s what I always look at. Can he be a main event guy? I didn’t think he could ever be a main event guy in the personification of the Red Rooster. He’s playing an angry chicken. I mean, fuck, c’mon. Bruce [Prichard] is gonna say that because he was part of the brain trust that come up with some of those ideas. He’s defending his post. I don’t have a problem with that, I just don’t agree with him…..maybe I’m wrong. I might be wrong on this deal. I just didn’t see a cocky chicken – it walked right out of relevance. I didn’t have confidence that the gimmick was gonna get over. I never saw that the angry rooster was gonna be a main event guy. I couldn’t feel it.”

On Taylor’s legacy in wrestling: “Highly-touted, high maintenance, highly-skilled. It wasn’t until later in life when he found out what he was really, really good at, and Terry has been a really good instructor and coach down at NXT. But I go back to what I said, in my opinion, and this is a grandpa and father talking – his greatest achievement is how he’s raised his sons. It’s a job that neither of us with our children and my grandchildren have to deal with what he has to deal with on a daily basis. It’s gonna be challenging and daunting and tough. Emotionally tough. To me, he was a hell of a wrestler and a great coach, but I think his greatest accolade is the fact he’s been a great father to two special needs sons in a job that many of us cringe in knowing this is what we have to do. We have to take care of these two boys, and he’s done that. All of that other negative stuff, I erase.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit Grilling JR with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.