Business is about to pick up as WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross, affectionately known to fans as Good Ol’ J.R., is set to make his debut calling New Japan Pro Wrestling at 9 p.m. ET Friday night on AXS TV.

Ross spent some time with For The Win this week to talk about his return to commentating, the current state of Wrestlemania, the Attitude Era, and who he’d etch into his pro wrestling Mt. Rushmore.

FTW: Let’s start with your new gig calling New Japan Pro Wrestling, which your debut episode is Friday night on AXS TV. How excited are you to be back in the game regularly again, calling NJPW?

J.R: I’m as pumped as a 64-year-old guy should be allowed to be. I stayed away from pro wrestling by and large after I left WWE in September of 2013. I had some offers to get back in, but between the product that would be needing to sell and the travel that would go along with it, it just wasn’t a good fit. So when this AXS thing came about, it clicked. It was the next slobber knocker I’ve been looking for. The travel is manageable; going to L.A. eight to ten times a year is more fun than it is work. And I really like the presentation of the New Japan product. It’s a throwback for me to another generation.

FTW: Piggybacking off of that, can you explain for folks who might only follow WWE but not NJPW what, in your mind, is the difference between the two promotions?

J.R.: Well, they both pack the sizzle. There’s plenty of pyro and sights and sounds, the costuming, the attire, it’s all comparable. The difference for me is that the New Japan product is very fundamentally sound. It’s old school, in the sense that they work very physically. They call it the “Japanese strong style.” When I broke into the business in the 1970s, that was just a normal day at the office, of guys working very physical. You didn’t see through their stuff. They weren’t insulting your intelligence with punches that wouldn’t break an egg and that others were selling like they got shot with a gun. It’s just more plausible.

(NJPW) has a different presentation than just about anybody in North America on a consistent basis for sure. It’s a very physical, fundamentally sound, logical presentation that motivates a broadcaster to represent it like it was a real sport. I understand what pro wrestling is; it’s a show business presentation. But the way these guys do it is really compelling, just a really distinct difference than the normal diet that one gets from North American pro wrestling shows.

FTW: We’re so used to hearing you call matches with Jerry “The King” Lawler. But with this gig, you’re partnered with former NJPW guy turned UFC fighter Josh Barnett. How do you feel about the chemistry between the two of you?

J.R.: The good news on this deal is that Josh and I were friends for a long time before this business relationship commenced. There was no ice to break in that regard. I was very well aware of his background and how we can incorporate that into our broadcast. The fact that Josh is a very intelligent, cerebral athlete – youngest UFC heavyweight champion ever – he has all the background information you could want. He’s wrestled and fought in Japan, has a very good feel for the culture, and he’s been broadcasting New Japan since Day 1 on AXS. He really has great product knowledge.

We’re on the same page about how we want to present the product. We want to do it like it’s a legitimate, mainstream sporting event even though we know it’s pro wrestling. But when you watch it and the way it looks on TV, it’s really easy to fall in the mindset and get lost in the story we’re trying to tell.

FTW: Mauro Ranallo is the guy you’re replacing. His voice and style are so distinct; MMA fans have been familiar with him for years. And so far, at least to me, listening to him call “Smackdown” has been fun. How do you feel about replacing him?

J.R.: It’s challenging, because he casts a long shadow. He’s very skilled and did a great job with the show. So for anybody to think that I’m going to come in and phone it in, or that my rather spacious Oklahoma ego is not going to allow me to show up, I’m not just going through the motions. I want Josh and I to be the best broadcast team of the genre, and that’s what we’re working towards. I think people will get a good indication on the very first show of where we want to be as a broadcast team, and I think they will like it.

FTW: WWE recently signed some talent from NJPW, the most notable being AJ Styles. What do you think of what WWE has done so far with Styles since his debut at the Royal Rumble?

J.R.: When I came back last year from broadcasting Wrestle Kingdom 9 I had an opportunity to chat with Vince McMahon and Paul Levesque (Triple H), and I told them about my positive experience of broadcasting the show live from the Tokyo Dome. And I also told them about some of the talents I saw. Certainly AJ was on the tip of my tongue in that conversation, as was Shinsuke Nakamura, who I think has unlimited potential in WWE. But I like the fact that AJ got to debut at Royal Rumble, a very prestigious event in the hierarchy of WWE big events. I thought they represented him well, produced him well, he looked good.

Some people might be disappointed that he didn’t win the Royal Rumble; well, neither did 29 other guys. But I thought AJ had a great debut. I like that they’ve put him in scenarios with Chris Jericho. Jericho is generally considered a main event guy, as he should be. He’s a future Hall of Famer, I believe. So any rub, for lack of a better term, that AJ Styles can get from Chris Jericho is positive. So far, all thumbs up with AJ in WWE, and I look forward to see what their plans are and where they take him.

FTW: So, Wrestlemania is right around the corner. What’s your early assessment of the card and potential for the show?

J.R.: I hope that the WWE title is the final match and headlines it. There’s a lot of ways they can spin that. I’m under the impression that some place along the way Triple H will end up being the fan favorite and Roman Reigns the villain. But that remains to be seen. Shane McMahon and Undertaker is a fascinating story line that can be developed because it’s so personal and based in reality to a certain degree. Very few guys in the business take an ass whooping like Dean Ambrose, and make no mistake that’s exactly what he’ll get from Brock Lesnar.

So I’m optimistic about the card. I’ve always thought Wrestlemania is a special event that brings the best out of everybody, whether it’s the wrestlers or the broadcasters or whomever, and I still believe that. I’m looking at it with a very open mind that it’ll do great business for WWE. I can close my eyes and see the visual of a packed AT&T Stadium, 100,000 people. That ring is a 20-foot square. They’re going to put it on the 50-yard line. The opportunity to pack that stadium is unprecedented. I think it’s going to be a history-making event. My first broadcast in WWE was at Wrestlemania IX. Wrestlemania is big, and I’m glad that I got to go on a real interesting 21-year ride on the road to and out of Wrestlemania.

FTW: Roman Reigns. He’s such a polarizing guy among the fans, and it’s probably unfair. Stone Cold Steve Austin recently said Reigns “isn’t quite there yet” to be the top guy, even suggested he should be a heel first. What’s your opinion of the Reigns situation?

J.R.: Well, I agree with Stone Cold. First of all, I think the world of the kid. When I was with WWE and going to Florida to work with their developmental program, he was one of my favorites to work with. I love his commitment. I love that he was a big 300-pound nose tackle at Georgia Tech and has worked hard to reshape his body and be what he is today. He has ears. He can hear people booing him, and I’m sure he has to process that and embrace it to some degree, or suppress it, however he handles it. The kid’s got feelings like anyone else. He’s going through a rough patch in that regard.

I just think that anytime the audience perceives that you’re force-feeding them a talent, especially to this degree, they sometimes rebel. We live in a very defiant society, especially among young men in the WWE’s target demographic. So sometimes when you’re really trying to promote somebody and build them, the audience can easily take it as you’re trying to force somebody upon them. And I think that’s happened here inadvertently. Roman is simply miscast right now. One idea would be to have a double turn like Stone Cold and Bret Hart did at Wrestlemania 13 with Roman and Triple H, and certainly if Mr. McMahon were to get involved in that in orchestrating Roman Reigns’ change in attitude, then you got a pretty good piece of business there heat-wise. I like Roman. He’s been built uniquely. But I don’t know if how he was built will work. It’s a tough sell.

FTW: Shane McMahon is 46 years old and hasn’t wrestled a match in years. Undertaker is 50 and clearly not what he used to be. But inside Hell in a Cell at Wrestlemania anything can go. What should we expect from them?

J.R.: I think those two guys will overachieve. I think too much is being put on their ages. You’re not asking them to go run a marathon. You’re not asking them to compete in the decathlon or something. I’m guessing, bell to bell, their match will be about 25 minutes, plenty of time, and I think they’ll do great. It’ll be a lot of punching, a lot of kicking, and a lot of strikes. Maybe some submission attempts. I don’t know that you’ll see a traditional high-spot laden wrestling match.

But they don’t have to go out there and have a classic wrestling match. They have to have a war and be physical, much like the New Japan strong style. There arguably won’t be a more physical match than this one at Wrestlemania, which makes up for a lot of issues that people have that I think are more imagined than real.. Like my friend Toby Keith said, “I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m good once as I ever was.” I think that’s what we’re looking at here. Shane and Undertaker have a lot of pride. This match is Hell in a Cell, the event is special to both guys as far as their professional lives are concerned. So I think we’ll get great effort and a lot of heart, and I do think it will exceed expectations.

FTW: I realize we’ll never re-live the Attitude Era, but Vince McMahon has used swear words two weeks in a row now on “Raw”. And recent reports suggest WWE will be a little more edgy in the weeks leading up to Wrestlemania to drum up interest. The Attitude Era was a special time. Do you think WWE could, or maybe even should, be pushing that envelope a bit?

J.R.: I don’t think the TV rating is indicative of success to a broadcast. In other words, I don’t think being TV-14 automatically equals success. The athletes that we had in our locker room during that Attitude Era, those men and women are what made the WWE special in that era. They were allowed to be themselves. They weren’t saddled with scripted promos. They were allowed to get on the edge. Sometimes we were too far on the edge, but I do think that being able to loosen up a little bit to add some of those elements from the Attitude Era, like unscripted promos, promos based on bullet points and the natural personality of the individuals, that’s good. I understand the blood aspect, with the health issues.

If I’m sitting ringside with my wife or my grandchildren, the last thing I want is somebody I don’t know, or even someone I do know, bleeding on me. And that’s happened before at wrestling events over the years when the flow of blood was more prominent. But I do think they would be well served to let people be a little more spontaneous. Again, getting on the edge, as long as you don’t go over it and start alienating segments of your audience, is probably a smart thing. You just have to have balance. Being TV-14 just means you’re TV-14; it doesn’t mean you’re going to be successful. And being PG doesn’t mean you have to be milk toast and boring, either. It’s all about how you create things.

FTW: Hope I’m not putting you on the spot when I ask this: What would be your Mt. Rushmore of pro wrestling?

J.R. Gosh, probably Lou Thesz, Andre The Giant, Steve Austin, and the next one is hard. It could be Hulk Hogan. Austin, Andre and Hogan are big. Lou Thesz represented the business from the 30s to the 60s, so he’d have to go in there in my book. But you could blow that Mt. Rushmore up with four more guys that I could name, and it would be just as prominent. But those are the first four that came to my mind.