October 17, 2005 Observer Newsletter: Jim Ross removed from WWE television, No Mercy recap
It was one of those surreal moments on Raw where fiction and reality blended together as the show ended on 10/10 in Corpus Christi with Linda McMahon turning heel, firing Jim Ross, kicking him in the balls and going off the air in what may be Ross’ final television appearance.
The angle was done to turn Linda heel, using Ross in his role of being the “go-to” guy when it comes to attempting to turn popular figures such as Steve Austin, Undertaker, Kane and others, or for Vince McMahon or HHH to use to build steam on themselves as heels. As a wrestling fan, he was portrayed going out as such a sympathetic babyface character that one would believe it couldn’t be anything but the start of a storyline to build for his return. It’s unfathomable that angle was done to write him off the show, even though internally, it does appear nearly everyone believes that to be the case.
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Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.