Jim Ross Compares Jon Moxley's AEW Debut to a Stone Cold Steve Austin Moment

Jim Ross made his All Elite Wrestling debut this past Saturday as a play-by-play commentator for the Double or Nothing event. Ross was still in the booth after Chris Jericho upset Kenny Omega in the main event, and was just as shocked when former WWE Champion Jon Moxley made his way down to the ring through the crowd.

"The thunder and the lightning of Jon Moxley leaving its mark! Good god almighty!" Ross shouted as Moxley hit Jericho and the referee with his Dirty Deeds DDT.

The WWE Hall of Famer stated in an interview with Sports Illustrated on Tuesday that he had no idea Moxley had signed with AEW.

"I didn't know it was going to happen," Ross said. "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."

Ross compared Moxley's debut to the likes of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Mick Foley, given how wild the crowd went at the sold-out MGM Grand Garden Arena.

"He was so full of passion and raw, animal magnetismm," Ross said. "I felt it in my bone marrow, it was a 'Stone Cold' moment."

"The crowd there should be saluted, each and every person," he added. "They brought something special. The only places I can remember hearing a crowd quite like that are some nights during the 'Attitude Era' in Chicago and at the Garden in New York. This audience, without question, was there because they wanted to be there, they made sacrifices to be there, and man, when they got in their seats, they delivered. We should all be grateful for that."

AEW announced shortly after Moxley's arrival that he had signed a multi-year contract with the company that will start this fall.

"He is a multi-year contract, he will be on a full-time deal," AEW president Tony Khan said in a press conference after the show. "When we go weekly, he's going to be full-time. Same as some of the guys, especially when the schedule is light, I'm open to him working some international and indie dates. He is full-time with us, domestically, essentially he's our guy. Yeah, he's going to do some international and indie stuff, but he's definitely an AEW full-time wrestler."

Photo: All Elite Wrestling