Jim Ross says he didn’t know about Jon Moxley’s Double or Nothing appearance, called it a ‘Stone Cold moment’

You weren’t the only one surprised when Jon Moxley ran roughshod over the end of All Elite Wrestling’s debut pay-per-view (PPV) on Saturday night (May 25). The man calling the action at Double or Nothing says he didn’t know the man WWE called Dean Ambrose was on the show until he showed up. And he’s glad he didn’t because he thinks it added to the moment - not that Mox needed much help.

Jim Ross told Sports Illustrated:

“I didn’t know it was going to happen. I knew we were negotiating with Moxley. I asked what was happening with him about 10 days ago, and I was told it was going well, but when it came time for the show, his name wasn’t anywhere on my format sheet. It left my mind because I had more I knew I had to prepare for.

The lucky part for me is it reminded me of Mick Foley getting thrown off the cell. I didn’t know that was going to happen, and the same thing happened on Saturday night in Vegas.

I didn’t know Moxley was coming out there. He was so full of passion and raw, animal magnetism. I felt it in my bone marrow, it was a ‘Stone Cold’ moment.”

Seems plausible to me. Unlike (allegedly) not cluing wrestlers in to what you have planned, getting an honest reaction out of a man known for iconic play-by-play calls is a good reason to work your own workers. JR was obviously high on AEW signing Moxley ahead of time, and admits to knowing he was in talks to join the company, so it’s not like they sprang a guy he’d never heard of on him, either (that seemed to happen a few time in the middle of the card, though).

Let us know if you buy that Ross was in the dark on the surprise ending in Las Vegas last Saturday, and check out the rest of his talk with Justin Barrasso at SI.com - which includes some high praise for his new booth partner Excalibur.