Jim Ross Calls 2003 Raw Fire Segment with Kane ‘A Waste of Time’

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is never one to hold back his thoughts, and he recently shared his unfiltered opinion on the controversial 2003 Raw segment where he was set on fire by Kane.

The fiery moment, which aired on the July 14 episode of Raw, came shortly after Kane lost his mask to Triple H in a high-stakes Title vs. Mask match. While the stunt grabbed headlines at the time, Ross now sees it as a misstep.

On a recent episode of Grilling JR, Ross pulled no punches when discussing the segment. “Made sense. I didn’t mind doing it because they had a stunt double come in, and they burned him. They just wanted me to scream, which I did,” Ross said. “But I thought it was a waste of time. Because it’s unrealistic. It was unbelievable.”

Ross went on to point out how the segment, while visually shocking, didn’t land with the audience the way WWE might have hoped. “Your moms are turning the channel because it’s not appropriate for their kids to watch, and you have a lot of other fans saying, ‘Why are they doing this?’” he added. “I was back on TV in a week or two. It wasn’t even sold well. That ain’t my problem. I didn’t book it. I did what I was told.”

Despite understanding the creative reasoning behind the stunt, Ross remains critical of its execution and believability. “It just was unbelievable logic, and that’s not the best kind,” he concluded.

The fire segment may have been a bold attempt to heighten the tension between Kane and WWE’s roster, but Ross’s candid critique offers a glimpse into the challenges of delivering compelling and credible storytelling in pro wrestling.