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Jim Ross hopes to inspire readers with autobiography

Jim Ross is very proud of what he and his writing partner Paul O'Brien have put together.

What they have put together was Ross' autobiography titled Slobberknocker: My Life in Wrestling, which is being released today.

Ross believes his story of overcoming the odds of being a boy growing up on a farm in Eastern Oklahoma to becoming arguably the greatest announcer in wrestling history will enthrall readers and potentially inspire them as well.

Despite all of the good feelings Ross has about his book, he is still overcoming some pretty major odds, as he is still mourning the death of his wife, Jan, who died back in March due to the injuries she suffered in an auto accident.

"She was such a big part of my book, our book, and her role in my life has been very pronounced and irreplaceable," Ross told philly.com. "I wish that she was here because I know that she would have been very proud of what we hope will be positive results."

Jan not only played a major role in Ross' life, but in many others within professional wrestling.

Ross credits his wife as a big reason why WWE surged back to the top of the wrestling industry in the late 1990s, as she played caretaker for the wrestlers while Ross was the head of talent relations for company.

According to Ross, Jan cooked meals for talent, helped do laundry and even served as a therapist of sorts for wrestlers when they needed to vent about something.

"She took that as a very honorable role," Ross recalled. "She enjoyed having talents in our home."

"Sometimes an insecure man that's having a challenging time in his career and his personal life simultaneously needs to vent to an understanding woman, and she was that," he added.

The time since his wife's passing has proven to be very challenging for Ross. Even narrating the audio version of his autobiography was tough for him, but he found it cathartic in hindsight.

"You're essentially narrating your own documentary, and some facets of our lives are often times facets that we wish we had not encountered or that we can change, but you learn early on that you can't," Ross said.

Even with the ups and downs, Ross said he feels fortunate to have had such a successful and impactful career despite what he believes were long odds.

"Realistically, guys with my look and my sound are not supposed to be successful broadcasters," Ross said.

"I've never have a sports network break down my door to become a sports anchor because I don't fit their mold," he added. "I'm not young, I don't have a great look, I don't have a generic accent. I defied a lot of those odds. Sometimes, ignorance can be bliss. I never slowed down long enough to evaluate how challenging a world that I had decided to reside in.

"We all have the opportunity to find our own individual comfort zone. I am a major advocate to stay the hell out of it. Don't allow yourself to establish a residency in your comfort zone where you are not trying to improve your game, your life, your health, and your relationships."

Jim Ross on the Mae Young Classic

"I'm very honored to be selected to be a part of it," Ross said. "I enjoyed it a lot. I really did."

"Being in the territory era and seeing how the women were treated when they would come into a territory, it's so refreshing, but at the same time, it's almost like you want to hang your head that the business that I love did not treat women or any minority well back in those early days," Ross said.

Jim Ross on WWE and the United Kingdom

Ross revealed that a weekly United Kingdom championship program on the WWE Network is still "on the radar," but there is no launch date.

He also said that it has been "discussed casually" that he and Nigel McGuiness would be the announce team.

Vaughn Johnson has a podcast with Nick Piccone called the Straight Shooters on WildfireRadio.com. Check it out here HERE.