Wrestling autobiographies are often a fantastic way of providing insight into the industry and learning a lot more about the individual who wrote the book. That is certainly the case for Slobberknocker, which is a fantastic book written by Jim Ross. It's deeply emotional and teaches fans an awful lot.
Good Ol' JR has always been a tremendous storyteller, which is why he's one of the best commentators of all time. But that is also why his book is so compelling. He paints an incredible picture for the readers, detailing his life all the way to WWE, covering the tremendous highs and the difficult lows throughout.
10 Not Being Welcome In WWE
Jim Ross reflected on when he first signed with WWE after working for WCW. He admitted that it was a tough time and even though Vince McMahon personally introduced him during a meeting, JR felt that nobody wanted him around.
It goes to show just how deep the rivalry between WCW and WWE was at the time. Even though JR was incredibly talented, certain people backstage couldn't look past the fact he was there for a while.
9 Difficult Upbringing
It was clear throughout the book that Jim Ross's childhood wasn't the most simple and easy situation. His father was quite a strict man and that led to some tough times for JR when he was younger, which helped shape his life.
One example of that is when their dog became pregnant and had puppies that the family couldn't afford to keep. Therefore his father forced JR to kill them as a lesson, which showcases just how difficult things were for him.
8 Belief In Steve Austin
Jim Ross and Steve Austin are known for being very good friends, and that all starts with JR being the man who brought him into the company. He believed in Austin and told him repeatedly he would be a top babyface.
Hilariously, Austin refused to believe that and claimed he wouldn't be. JR also shared a story about Austin winning the King of the Ring and how he was furious after, which led to Jim Ross getting him a brand new contract.
7 Vince McMahon's Respect
While Vince McMahon and Jim Ross have not always seen eye to eye, one thing that is very clear throughout this book is the respect they have for each other. Jim Ross talks about the WWE Chairman in a very positive manner, for the most part, and that respect is mutual.
Vince himself provides the foreword for the book, and in his section, he openly admits to having tremendous respect for JR. He claims nobody appreciates Jim's work for WWE more than him, in what is a rare moment of Vince publicly giving out praise.
6 Trying To Stop Mick Foley
While Jim Ross is best known by fans for his commentary role, behind the scenes he was the head of talent relations for a while in WWE. After Mick Foley's famous match with The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell, JR revealed he and Vince McMahon had to speak with him.
Vince apparently thanked Mick for what he did but told him not to ever do something like that again. Meanwhile, JR told Mick that he is too entertaining to just be splattering himself on the concrete, with the two men giving him a stern warning for his own safety.
5 Brawl For All
Another aspect of his time in WWE was the infamous Brawl For All tournament. JR spoke about that period in detail as he was close friends with Bart Gunn, and he revealed that a lot of the locker room actually had bets on Bart to win his fight with Butterbean.
Jim also revealed that Butterbean had asked during the day if people would be mad if he knocked out Bart, which he did. JR reflected and admitted it was a failure as it cost the company a lot of medical bills and didn't actually make any stars.
4 Nature Boy's Charm
Jim Ross spoke in the book about how he met his wife Jan, and Ric Flair played a part in that. They met on a plane where Jan was working as the air stewardess, and the Nature Boy spent the entire flight trying to charm her the best he could.
Yet it was Good Ol' JR who walked away having her phone number and the chance to call her down the line, which ended up being a great decision for them.
3 The Black Hat
When wrestling fans think about Jim Ross, it is impossible not to think of his iconic black cowboy hat. It was the hat he would wear down to the ring and while he did commentary on almost every major event, it became part of his persona.
However, JR revealed in the book that he was initially against the hat. He didn't want to just become an Oklahoma stereotype, but Vince pushed it until it stuck. Thankfully, it worked, and Ross admitted that he ended up embracing it.
2 The Montreal Screwjob
Everyone involved in wrestling has given their opinion on the Montreal Screwjob, and in this book, so did JR. He admitted to not having a clue about things, despite his backstage role, with Vince McMahon keeping him in the dark on purpose.
When JR got to the back, Vince hid Jim in his office so he wouldn't be involved. He tried to keep Jim out so he could still work with the talent, and JR revealed that The Undertaker found out and told him not to worry about anything, as he had JR's back.
1 His WrestleMania XV Return
Jim Ross' second bout with Bell's Palsy was certainly a very difficult period for him, and it led to an extensive time off television. However, the book ends with him returning at WrestleMania XV to call the main event.
JR talks about how tough that moment was, admitting he couldn't sleep and almost refused to do it. However, the feeling of going out and calling the match was something he couldn't describe, admitting he was very happy to have done it. What's even cooler about this story is the fact that both Steve Austin and The Rock went to bat for JR to make sure he was on commentary.