On January 4th 2015, Global Force Wrestling will be hosting New Japan Pro Wrestling’s ‘Wrestle Kingdom IX’ live on pay-per-view. An event of this magnitude deserves, no, requires only the very best at commentary. No one could have guessed that the man whom Global Force Wrestling CEO and founder, Jeff Jarrett, would secure to call the action would be WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross.
“When you think of the great events in wrestling over the past 30 years one of the things they have in common is the man behind the microphone. And that man is Jim Ross,” said Jarrett, who had been working feverishly for close to two months to secure ‘good ol’ J.R.
Ross has been an industry mainstay since he first started doing play-by-play for NWA Mid-South, working for several years with the company, even as the company aligned with Jim Crockett Promotions, then becoming NWA World Championship Wrestling and stayed with them in the early years of WCW breaking off from the National Wrestling Alliance. In 1993, Ross was hired by the then World Wrestling Federation and has enjoyed a prolific, if tumultuous, career there until his release in September 2013.
“I am truly honored and excited to have been asked to be a part of this historic event,” said Ross. “To be able to return to my roots and to provide play by play for an amazing, pro wrestling product will be special. I never thought I’d ever return to ringside for a wrestling event but this opportunity was just too special to turn down.”
Wrestle Kingdom IX will come to you live from the Tokyo Dome on pay-per-view and will be available on Verizon Fios, Comcast, U-Verse and DirecTV.
Personally speaking, Jim Ross could be calling a high school wrestling bout and he will make that bout a show for the ages. Jarrett couldn’t have made a better move for Wrestle Kingdom IX as far as presentation is concerned. Here’s hoping this leads to J.R. getting the itch to want to return to full time commentary.
