Jim Ross is widely considered to be the greatest play-by-play commentator in the history of WWE, but he's now standing on the other side of the rivalry.

Good Ol' JR signed a contract with the new AEW promotion back in April, to work as both a play-by-play announcer and senior adviser. But before he joined AEW, Fox apparently tried to bring the legendary voice back to WWE.

This is according to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Ringside News). Ross was apparently offered a gig for WWE Backstage on FS1, but he rejected it and obviously chose the bigger opportunity at AEW instead.

Back in June, Ross revealed on the Grilling JR podcast that he went to Vince McMahon to see if WWE would match the offer AEW presented to him. The WWE chairman wouldn't do it, however. Ross' deal with AEW carries a three-year term.

AEW Dynamite premiered on TNT this week, and they crushed NXT in the first edition of the "Wednesday Night Wars." Dynamite reportedly brought in 1.409 million viewers, while NXT was considerably behind with 891,000.

Related: Tony Khan Reveals AEW Locked Jack Swagger Up A Long Time Ago

via Sports Illustrated

Ross left the WWE in 2013, and reports suggested that he was fired. However, JR said that he was retiring, and Vince said that it was Ross' choice to depart. The latter worked briefly in New Japan Pro-Wrestling but returned to WWE on a two-year deal in 2017 - returning to the broadcast table for WrestleMania 33, the Raw 25th anniversary show and the Greatest Royal Rumble event.

JR is one of the many notable WWE talents to have joined the AEW promotion. They also landed Chris Jericho, Cody and Brandi Rhodes plus Jon Moxley (better known as Dean Ambrose in WWE). At the Dynamite premier, Jake Hager (a former World Champion in WWE, Jack Swagger) was revealed to be their latest signing.

AEW Hit A Home Run By Signing Ross 

Even if WWE is the top promotion in the world, you can't blame Ross for taking on a role that would allow him to help expand AEW. Ross is as strong as ever on the mic, and wrestling fans will never get bored of his iconic voice. His addition was a major win for AEW, and he'll surely play a prominent role for the new promotion as go toe-to-toe with WWE.

Next: AEW Working On Another Show That Will Air For Free Online