Jim Ross Discusses CM Punk, Vince McMahon & UFC + Ric Flair

In an interview with The Big Lead, Jim Ross gave his reaction to CM Punk’s misdiagnosed staph infection, which was one of the reasons Punk ended up leaving WWE. Here are highlights:

On what it was like on the road with Ric Flair: “Being on the road with Flair was like a never-ending party. He had two great passions: in-ring wrestling and his social life. He was always the life of the party, so if you traveled with him on the road you kind of agreed to those terms. If you’re gonna ride in a limo and fly first class, like he’d facilitate in one way or another, you were essentially signing up for very late hours and ample alcohol consumption. He would tell you himself that he was known to forget on occasion that he was a married man. That’s not a secret, he’s written and spoken about it. That’s just Ric, and the thing about him is that even in his mid-60’s he still loves to be … social. Sometimes you wanted to avoid the ride with him because you needed to sleep. He could operate on a higher level with less sleep than just about anybody I’ve seen — other than Vince McMahon. He’d get up early in the morning, go to the gym, and do over an hour of cardio. He and Ricky Steamboat used to have contests with each other on the Stairmaster machines that bordered on suicidal.”

On CM Punk’s problems with the WWE medical staff and his staph infection being misdiagnosed: “I was very surprised to hear that because I know from experience that WWE has invested untold sums of money on their medical staff. Full-time doctors, full-time certified trainers, CTE testing and things that are actually being followed by some of the other leagues. I know that the health of their performers is a high priority, and that anytime I ever had an issue that was job-related or in-the-ring, I always got excellent care and I communicated with the medical staff on a regular basis. They’d call me when I was home. I was obviously not a trained in-ring performer. I did a lot of bits, that I equate to being a cow on ice, and I was a little clumsy and untrained. But I was cast in that role for that show, so I did my job — because I certainly could cash the checks. So I was surprised to hear that. I’m not disputing his claim because I wasn’t there and haven’t seen the medical records, but the issue is that it seems like it comes back down to communication. If I was in Punk’s place — and maybe he did this, I don’t know — and I was displeased by the doctor’s feedback, I would have gone to Vince after that, and said I believed the diagnosis to be incorrect. I don’t know if that ever happened.”

On if Punk leaving WWE and Vince McMahon to go to work for Dana White and the UFC is a case of the “devil you don’t know”: “No, I don’t think so. This whole thing has been a very dramatic matter, made even more so by those of us who write about and speculate on it. I look at both Dana and Vince as smart businessmen. Are they alpha males? You’re damn right. Have I always agreed with everything McMahon wanted me to do or all of his basic philosophies? Not every one of them, no. He’s a very strong alpha male, and I broke into the business with one that is even stronger in his presence than Vince ever was — Bill Watts — so that’s how I thought the business was just always gonna be. I think Dana’s a smart businessman, and the Punk signing was money from the get-go. As we speak, Punk is going through the ESPN car wash. That’s a nice get for UFC. The reason he’s on there is the same reason everyone is gonna buy his first PPV — he has global name identity. Where did he earn that? WWE. Where did he earn the money to live the lifestyle and be able to establish himself for independent ventures? Same as me — WWE. He had these issues with McMahon. I’ve heard one side of the story. I’ve read about it a lot, but I have not heard the podcast. I’ve always said that wrestlers leave companies because of the two c’s — cash and creative. Apparently Punk had issues with those. Nothing new. Not a revolutionary statement. It’s just the way it is. I’m thinking the WWE opened a lot of doors for him, it’s unfortunate they got into a pissing contest at the end, but as I’ve said before I think this all came from a basic lack of communication. The problem festered and it was allowed to get out of hand where it got past the point of no return, for now.”

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