Vince McMahon Says Jim Ross Once Overheard Rivals Discussing Hit on WWE Boss

WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon said on the Pat McAfee Show Thursday that former WWE announcer and executive Jim Ross told him that rival wrestling promoters from the National Wrestling Alliance considered putting a hit on him as he was expanding his organization to a national landscape.

"I don’t know how many rivers I’m supposed to be at the bottom of,” McMahon said, per Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post.

"Death threats are what they are. I always felt like if you can knock off the president of the United States, I’m easy to get to. I’ve never had a bodyguard or any of that stuff.

"In those days it was like, from their standpoint, when you invaded their territory, it was like ... there were so many people who threatened me, that I told one of them, 'If you want to take credit for it, you better get me quick.'"

Wrestling used to be a territorial-based industry, but McMahon changed that as he grew his business into an international behemoth. He eventually won out over the rival promoters, who were reportedly from the National Wrestling Alliance.

McMahon also claimed that Ross overheard the conversation between rival promoters in a bathroom while he was in a stall.

"They were talking about how they were going to off me. 'This guy knows this guy, I know a guy who can do this, this guy [carried out a hit], it was really impressive.' They all know people, so they’re all talking about who was going to off me."

"So imagine Jim Ross, he doesn’t give a s–t about Vince McMahon [as he wasn’t working for WWE yet at the time]. He’s thinking about himself. He’s on the throne. He hears this and thinks he’s gonna be an accessory to murder. He takes one foot, puts it on the seat. Takes the other one, puts it on the seat, so now they can’t see his feet below the stall. And, of course Mother Nature is calling at the same time."

Ross has previously told this story on the Grilling JR podcast (h/t Brandon Stroud of Uproxx).

McMahon made a rare public appearance Thursday, but he knows McAfee well considering the show host also works as a WWE color commentator. A recap of the interview can be found via Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc.

McMahon also told McAfee that he a offer to wrestle at WrestleMania 38, which will take place at Arlington, Texas' AT&T Stadium on April 2 and 3. The opponent is to-be-determined.

McMahon also noted that he'll personally be inducting The Undertaker into the WWE Hall of Fame.