Perry Saturn has shared a pointed story about his past interactions with Jim Ross, describing the longtime wrestling executive and announcer as “fake to your face” while recounting an incident involving NBA legend Charles Barkley at a pay-per-view in Charlotte.
Saturn appeared in Maven’s September 4 YouTube video, WWE Wrestlers Who are Jerks in Real Life, a format in which the former WWE Superstar was asked to classify various wrestling names as either “mean” or “nice.” When the discussion moved to Ross during the latter half of the episode, Saturn selected “mean” and offered a personal anecdote to explain his choice.
The story centers on an occasion when Saturn was in catering at a Charlotte pay-per-view. He recalled Ross approaching him and asking him to come along because someone was allegedly causing problems while trying to gain entry to the event.
“JR is fake to your face and I’m going to tell you a story that’s going to back up a D-Von story,” Saturn said. “In Charlotte, we’re there for some pay-per-view and I was in catering and JR comes in and he goes, ‘Perry, come with me.’ I go, ‘What’s wrong?’ He goes, ‘One of your fucking homeboy friends is trying to get in and he’s raised in hell.’”
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Saturn said he was confused by Ross’ assertion, maintaining that he did not know anyone who was expected to be at the show. He also took issue with Ross’ wording in describing the unidentified individual as one of Saturn’s “homeboy” friends.
“What does he mean by homeboy friend?” Saturn continued. “I go, ‘JR I don’t know anybody here. I don’t expect anybody to be here.’ He goes, ‘Well let’s see who it is.’ He lectures me all the way down there how the people you keep company with there’s a reflection on you and shit.”
As the two men approached the area where the visitor was being held up, Saturn said he heard a familiar voice. The person attempting to get into the building, he recalled, was Barkley.
“We get around the corner, and I hear Charles Barkley scream, ‘Saturn what the fuck, why ain’t you let me…’ I go, ‘JR, it’s Charles Barkley,’” Saturn said.
A Personal Account From Saturn
Saturn did not identify the exact event, year, or venue in Charlotte where the encounter took place. He also did not provide further details about why Barkley was attempting to enter, whether Barkley had been invited to the show, or how the situation was ultimately resolved. The account was presented as Saturn’s recollection of a moment from his time around WWE.
The former Radicalz member made clear that, in his view, the incident was relevant to a broader assessment of Ross’ behavior. Saturn’s use of the phrase “fake to your face” reflected his own opinion and experience, rather than a claim that could be independently established through the video discussion.
What made the story especially notable was the way Saturn connected it to comments previously made by D-Von Dudley. Saturn introduced his recollection by saying it would support a story from D-Von, who publicly discussed his own difficult experiences with Ross earlier this year.
In January, D-Von alleged that Ross made racist comments toward him in two separate incidents. Those claims prompted a public response from Ross, who addressed the allegations on his podcast and rejected the characterization that he was racist.
Saturn’s account does not establish details surrounding D-Von’s separate allegations, and he did not claim to have witnessed the incidents D-Von described. Instead, he framed his Charlotte story as an example that informed his own negative view of Ross and the language Ross used toward him.
The Charles Barkley Twist
The Barkley element gives Saturn’s story an unusual twist. Ross apparently believed an associate of Saturn’s was creating a disturbance, only for Saturn to recognize the visitor as one of the most prominent figures in American sports.
Barkley’s status as a major NBA star made the confusion particularly memorable for Saturn. In his telling, Ross had spent the walk toward the entrance warning him about the company he kept and the effect that a disruptive friend could have on his reputation. That lecture stopped abruptly once Saturn identified the person involved.
Saturn did not say whether Ross recognized Barkley before Saturn pointed him out. Nor did he detail whether the exchange changed Ross’ handling of the situation. The anecdote’s central point, as Saturn presented it, was the assumption Ross made before learning who was actually trying to enter the building.
The story also reflects how often wrestling events can draw celebrities, athletes, friends, family members, and other guests into the same backstage environment. Pay-per-view weekends in particular can involve heightened security and access restrictions, meaning misunderstandings over credentials or entry are possible. However, Saturn’s comments focused on the language and attitude he says Ross used, not simply on the fact that a guest had been stopped.
Saturn’s Place in WWE History
Saturn is best known to WWE audiences for his run as part of The Radicalz, the group that arrived from WCW in 2000 alongside Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Dean Malenko. The group’s arrival became one of the defining roster developments of that period, immediately positioning its members in major storylines during a highly competitive era for WWE.
Before joining WWE, Saturn built a reputation through ECW and WCW, where he was regularly associated with intense, physical performances and a direct on-screen persona. His career included championship success and memorable rivalries across several major promotions. His WWE tenure featured singles and tag-team programs, as well as a run in which his character underwent dramatic presentation changes.
Because Saturn worked in multiple major locker rooms and spent years around influential industry figures, his perspective carries the weight of long experience. At the same time, his remarks about Ross remain a personal account of events from years ago, shared in a conversational video format rather than as part of a formal investigation or documented dispute.
Ross’ Longstanding Presence in Wrestling
Ross has occupied many roles throughout his decades in professional wrestling, including play-by-play commentator, talent relations executive, and behind-the-scenes decision-maker. For many fans, his voice is inseparable from major WWE moments and matches, particularly across the company’s late-1990s and early-2000s boom period.
That broad history also means Ross has worked with generations of performers and has been the subject of many stories—positive and negative—about his approach as an executive and colleague. Saturn’s comments add another critical recollection to that wider body of wrestler testimony, though they should be understood as his account and his interpretation of the exchange.
Ross has already publicly denied D-Von’s accusation that he is racist. There is no indication in Saturn’s comments that Ross has responded specifically to the Charles Barkley story or to Saturn’s description of him as “fake to your face.”
Why the Discussion Has Drawn Attention
Wrestling history is often retold through individual experiences, especially as former performers revisit the complicated personal and professional dynamics of past eras. Those accounts can offer valuable insight into the culture surrounding a promotion, but they can also be subjective, incomplete, and shaped by the passage of time.
Saturn’s story has attracted attention because it contains both a serious criticism of Ross’ conduct and an unexpected celebrity reveal. The alleged “homeboy” remark is central to why Saturn invoked D-Von’s previous comments, while the discovery that the supposed troublemaker was Barkley gives the anecdote a striking conclusion.
For Saturn, the incident was not merely a humorous case of mistaken identity. He presented it as evidence of the way Ross spoke to him and the assumptions he felt Ross made about him. Ross’ prior denial in response to D-Von establishes that there are conflicting perspectives surrounding the broader discussion.
As of now, Saturn’s Charlotte recollection stands as his own account from a past WWE pay-per-view environment. The exact event remains unspecified, the full circumstances of Barkley’s attempted entry are unknown, and no additional response from Ross has been attached to this particular story. What is clear is that Saturn remains firm in his assessment of the encounter and the impression it left on him.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.