On the latest Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross spoke about the brand split between RAW and SmackDown.
āWe had competition, the competition really came in announcing when Taz and Cole teamed up on SmackDown against Lawler and JR.ā
āThereās where it got a little bit more competitive, I always thought in a good-natured way. With me saying sh** like āThe A-Showā and things like that, that didnāt help things. That, I liked.ā
Jim had positive words for Michael Cole.
āMichael Cole is the voice of SmackDown, right now Michael Cole is the voice of WWE.ā
āAnd heās earned that. Why would I be offended? I had my run. Heāll be a Hall of Fame guy too someday. Wouldnāt it be ironic if he went into the Hall of Fame and wanted me to induct him? That would go over like a fart in church, wouldnāt it?ā
Finally, Ross recalled the Michael Cole / Jerry Lawler match at WrestleMania.
āIt was weak.ā
āI thought it was hurtful to Lawler, not on his character but personally. I didnāt think it was the right thing to do with Jerry and Iām biased, so what. They were looking to get more out of the JR and Cole thing. They figured out a way to get Swagger in there, heās JRās prodigy, Oklahoma boys and Lawler could help him just like he helped Mark Henry and other guys who were green and young. They thought they filled several needs, checking many boxes and thatās how I looked at it anyway.ā