From legendary wrestling announcer Jim Ross, this candid, colorful memoir about the inner workings of the WWE and the personal crises he weathered at the height of his career is “a must-read for wrestling fans” (Charleston Post Courier).
If you’ve caught a televised wrestling match anytime in the past thirty years, you’ve probably heard Jim Ross’s throaty Oklahoma twang. The beloved longtime announcer of the WWE “has been a driving force behind a generation of wrestling fans” (Mark Cuban), and he’s not slowing down, having signed on as the announcer of the starry new wrestling venture All Elite Wrestling. In this follow-up to his bestselling memoir Slobberknocker, he dishes out about not only his long career, which includes nurturing global stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and John Cena, but also about his challenges of aging and disability, his split from collaborator Vince McMahon, and the sudden death of his beloved wife, Jan. The result is a gruff, endearing, and remarkably human-scale portrait, set against the larger than life backdrop of professional wrestling.
Ross’s ascent in WWE mirrors the rise of professional wrestling itself from a DIY sideshow to a billion-dollar business. Under the Black Hat traces all the highs and lows of that wild ride, in which Jim served not only as on-air commentator, but talent manager, payroll master, and even occasional in-ring foil to threats like Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Undertaker. While his role brought him riches and exposure he had never dreamed of, he chafed against the strictures of a fickle corporate culture and what he saw as a narrow vision of what makes great wrestlers—and great story lines. When suddenly stricken with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis that makes it impossible to smile, he started down his greatest fear—being cast out of the announcing booth for good.
Picking up where Slobberknocker left off and ending on the cusp of a new career in a reimagined industry, Under the Black Hat is the triumphant tale of a country boy who made it to the top, took a few knocks, and stuck around—just where his fans like him. Not only being one of the greatest wrestlers of the WWE, Ross is also “a master storyteller, and this book is the perfect forum for his forty years’ worth of tales” (Chris Jericho, former WWE champion).
“I realized very quickly at the beginning of my WWE career that if I was going to be successful, I needed a conduit between me and the global audience watching from home. That conduit was Jim Ross. Proud to say we reached that global audience in a very big way." —Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
“Jim Ross is not only the greatest wrestling play-by-play man ever, he's the architect behing the greatest roster in WWE history. He's also a master storyteller, and this book is the perfect forum for his forty years' worth of tales. So put on your black hat and get ready for an amazing read that's anything but 'bowling-shoe ugly'!" —Chris Jericho, former WWE champion, Inaugural AEW champion, and New York Times bestselling author
“JR is a legend on and off the screen. He has been a driving force behind a big generation of wrestling fans, and has helped to grow one of the greatest media marketing forces in history—and that's just the tip of the iceberg. His ability to connect with some of the most powerful entertainers of our time is unparalled. Any book from JR will be a must-read." —Mark Cuban
"[A] must-read for wrestling fans....Ross is most compelling when he reveals his vulnerability and explores the caverns of his psyche and his heart, detailing how both were tested in his turbulent years working for McMahon and in the wake of his late wife Jan’s death....A master storyteller at the broadcast table, Ross takes the reader on an entertaining ride in this fun memoir." —Josh Needelman, Charleston Post and Courier
