Jim Ross may be the voice of All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite, but he doesn't ever shy away from sharing his honest opinions. Recently, he singled WWE Superstar Randy Orton out as the best wrestler in the world today, something many fans took as a shot at Kenny Omega.
Quite frankly, that's ridiculous, and the WWE Hall of Famer is obviously entitled to his opinion. The internet being the internet, though, and it took no time at all for Ross to come under fire (with the main criticism being that Omega is vastly better than Orton and Ross should support the wrestlers in the company he works for rather than his former employers).
Now, on his podcast, Ross has finally responded to the complaints.
"We have a little controversy going about who I apparently said that I thought Randy Orton was the best wrestler in the world. People forget that I recruited these guys. I’ve had a business association with a guy like Randy Orton since day one. Coach Barry Switzer said, ‘You recruit these kids for life’ and I kind of take that to heart. I’ve helped a lot of guys who got down on their luck and needed a check, what have you, way past WWE days."
"Apparently, people thought I was besmirching Kenny Omega," he continued. "There’s no right or wrong answer. He’s the best in the world based on what? Arm drags? Drop toeholds? Money drawn? Major events headlined? Tenure? What is the criteria? TV ratings?"
"I don’t know what the criteria is for these things. Anybody that can debate me and tell me that Randy Orton is not one of the best in the world will have a hard time winning that argument. Anybody can debate me and say, ‘Well, I think Kenny Omega is.’ Well, you make a good point. I don’t have any problem with that. Kenny Omega is the AEW Champion. He’s a hell of a hand. There’s no doubt about it, but golly. People are so sensitive right now."
Ross hits the nail on the head here, and when something like this is subjective, Orton is a much bigger star than Omega and someone who has been at the top of his profession for a long time. In terms of in-ring ability, there really aren't many wrestlers better than the current AEW Champion.
Who do you think deserves the title of the world's greatest wrestler?