This week on Jim Ross’ “Grilling JR” podcast, JR and Conrad Thompson cover the August 20, 2001 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw. That is the famous Milk-O-Mania episode featuring Kurt Angle and the milk truck.
Ross and Thompson cover everything that happened on that show and all of the big stories that were happening around that time, including what was happening with the WCW and ECW wrestlers that came over to WWE for the invasion storyline.
Here are some highlights:
Jim Ross talked about saving Paul Heyman’s job in the past: “I worked with Paul years ago. I salvaged Paul’s career on more than one occasion to be honest with you. He was so polarizing in WCW that the booking committee wanted to get rid of his ass. I always thought that one of the reasons was Heyman might have been a little bit smarter than some of them as far as booking. Nobody wanted to work with him. That’s when I said I will work with him and he will be my partner. I had enough clout to name who my partner was going to be in WCW. I thought he did a great job. I enjoyed working with Paul. WrestleMania 17 was one of my better memories as a performer and announcer and Paul was one of the catalysts in that whole process. Heyman is a very talented guy. Heyman has to be managed. In a booking world, he doesn’t work well on a committee or things like that. He never did. He never will. He needs autonomy and he needs to be able to have an open checkbook, so to speak, because of his vision.”
Ross dismissed the theory that WCW talent had heat when they came into WWE after the buyout: “The guys are all in the same locker room. They were friends by and large. It’s just conspiracy horsesh*t that makes people talk. There was no overt animosity.”
Ross talked about the lack of push DDP had in WWE: “Unfortunately for DDP, there were people in higher management, mainly Vince, that did not have the confidence in DDP’s work that a lot of folks did.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Grilling JR with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription
